Baldwin County Students Honored as Million-Word Readers

Baldwin County School District honored students who read one million words or more this school year with a limousine tour through historic Downtown Milledgeville and hibachi lunch at Little Tokyo.

Fifth grader Aaron Sherwood led the group as the year's top reader with approximately 6.2 million words. He reads about an hour to an hour and a half daily and credits consistent reading and competition for his achievement. "Since it started, I just wanted to win," Aaron said. "I wanted to have the most words. It makes me feel proud of what I can do." He named The Ranger's Apprentice series among his favorites.

Third grader Aiden Greene, another top reader, said reading is his hobby and enjoys the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series for its comedy.

Director of Curriculum Erica Ingram said the celebration connects to the district's literacy goals. "When students start reading for leisure, they pick topics that interest them, and that makes them read even more, which helps them become extremely fluent readers," Ingram said.

Superintendent Dr. Kristina Brooks said the challenge motivates students. "Often, students just need support to get the motivation to excel," Brooks said. "It was so important for me to show our students that reading is not just something we do to pass a test."

The students walked a red carpet before boarding two luxury limousines. Chefs at Little Tokyo prepared meals tableside with utensil-tossing demonstrations.