Every year, the OH One Book One School Program (OBOS) collectively decides on a book for the community to read together, getting the students to vote for a title.
The book chosen for this year was “A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” by Suzanne Collins, the prequel to “The Hunger Games,” which is a popular series among students.
“I worked with Tania Sharp and Drew Mundsinger to develop the first year of OBOS in 2016 with ‘I Am Malala,’” said Amy Howerton, English Department Chair. “[It was] intend[ed] to engage students in a reading opportunity with others that was not connected to a class assessment or a specific course, like English or social studies.”
Howerton added that “reading happens in all subjects, and reading is important for so many reasons,” indicating that the OBOS program can help to make those connections for students.
OBOS will be celebrating its ninth anniversary this upcoming fall. The books chosen each year provide different yet equally meaningful messages, such as growing up, the concept of truth, and empathy.
“The [OBOS] title is released to the faculty and staff at the end-of-year faculty meeting, and copies of the book are provided for the staff to read over the summer in preparation for the following year,” said Howerton. “Then the title is released and provided to students in the fall.”
Although the title chosen for OBOS this coming year is unknown to students, it will be revealed in the fall and accessible to the community just as the current title, “A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” is right now.
“We’ve received very positive feedback from everyone at OHS. Students even give us recommendations to be included in the vote,” said OH LRC Director Drew Mundsinger. ”Our titles are even read by members of the District Administration and a few School Board Members. It’s really been a great community-building program.”
The program significantly impacts reading skills, encouraging students to read and to consider different perspectives on life, as each book delves into different live experiences. However, this impacts not only students, but also staff.
During the last faculty meeting at the end of the school year, the OBOS team distributes around 125 titles of the following year’s OBOS title, giving the staff time to read them over the summer.
“The purpose of [OBOS] is to create a culture of literacy in our school community and, essentially, a love for reading,” said Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction Tania Sharp. “Research shows that reading assists in building reading stamina, as well as increases vocabulary and critical thinking.”
OBOS encourages students to read and hosts activities directly related to literature and reading, usually fitting the theme of whatever book is chosen for that year.
“Some of our more popular activities have been all-day reading days in the LRC offered multiple years, mental health lunch-n-learns, which was connected to ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ in 2019, and henna painting during lunch, connected to ‘I Am Malala’ in 2017,” said Howerton.
The administrators of the program have reached out to the Oswego Public Library to assist in their OBOS mission and to get more community involvement.
“Some [books are] more popular than others. We try to pick different types of books each year,” said Mundsinger. “We’ve had fiction and non-fiction titles, books that might introduce you to a new topic, books that are in the public spotlight, and books that are just fun to read.”
This diverse selection of books provides a wide scope of possibilities for students, staff, and family to explore different genres and expand their horizons, possibly discovering new favorites while also building relationships with others.
“Through [the novels] themes of social dynamics and honesty, the story emphasizes how understanding and truth can strengthen bonds and build a more inclusive community,” said Sharp.
This is my first year as a staff reporter on 42Fifty and I am a senior at OHS. I am also involved in NEHS, Best Buddies, and Reading Corner at the school and in my free time I volunteer at the Naperville Area Humane Society. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
