Did you know that reading doesn’t just fill your head with information, it actually changes the wiring in your brain?  Reading is beneficial for so many reasons: it enhances your vocabulary and improves your critical thinking skills.  Not only that, but reading allows you to develop the ability to empathise with others, which can smooth the way for happier relationships with those around you!  Good readers become even better writers, as they develop a broad vocabulary and a strong understanding of grammar and sentencing.  Those who read become excellent problem solvers, and studies show reading can reduce stress levels and support a better night’s sleep.  

It’s no wonder then that schools promote reading, and we would LOVE for our students to develop reading habits that allow them to become immersed in high-quality texts across a range of genres and topics.  

Five extraordinary Year 9 Cashmere High School students who already know the benefits of reading are Macy Bull, Bronte Fitzhardinge, Eliza Geddes, Ana Mulliner, and Pippa Reeves.  These incredible students travelled to Auckland on Tuesday, 16 September, to compete in the national ‘SLANZA Readers’ Cup’ competition.  This prestigious event celebrates literary knowledge, teamwork, and academic excellence.  We are incredibly proud to announce that, for the third consecutive year, we won the silverware, beating out the competition by a considerable margin!

The team were asked to closely study six texts: ‘A Monster Calls’, by Patrick Ness; ‘The Naturals’, by Jennifer Lynne Barnes; ‘Stars and Smoke’, by Marie Lu; ‘The Reappearance of Rachel Price’, by Holly Jackson; ‘Serviceman J: The Untold Story of an NZSAS Soldier’, by Jamie Pennell, and ‘The Bletchley Riddle’, by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin.  In a closed-book test, students are asked to answer questions to reveal their understanding of the books.  To prepare for this, the team had been meeting for months, investing every interval to examine the texts closely.  The students also worked hard to fundraise with hugely successful (and highly delicious) bake sales and the ever-popular quiz night.  

As always, there were many supporters who contributed to the success of the team.  A huge thank you must go to Year 11 students Lucy M. Moore and Lucy Phillips, aka “The Lucies”, who shared their knowledge from when THEY won in 2023.  They accompanied the team to Auckland and were pivotal to the team’s success.  Likewise, Ms Saskia Hill (and her library team) spent countless hours supporting the students in so many ways: feeding, coaching, organising, coordinating, and all the tasks in between!  Thank you, too, to the parents for encouraging reading, and for being cheerleaders and champions for the cause.

Bring on 2026.  Will we make it four years in a row? If YOU are wanting to increase your ‘reading mileage’, please come to Book Club, held every Tuesday in R7.  Chat to the friendly librarians.  Make a start.  It’s amazing the power even a few pages each night can have.  Who knows where you’ll end up!