Leyden students celebrate reading

Leyden High School District 212 celebrated Abraham Lincoln and the joy of reading with a “Rock the Vote” party held in the media center at both the East and West campuses in late February.

The party was held in conjunction with the Abraham Lincoln Award: Illinois’ High School Readers’ Choice Award, sponsored by the Illinois School Library Media Association.

The award is named for Abraham Lincoln, an avid reader and noted author, as well as the 16th president of the United States.

The goal of the program is to encourage high school students to read for personal satisfaction and become familiar with authors of young adult and adult books.

At the after-school parties, students voted for their favorite Abe Lincoln book titles. There were 22 titles to read and consider, including “Columbine” by David Cullen, “If I Stay” by Gayle Forman, and “The Looking Glass Wars” by Frank Beddar. Students who read at least four of the 22 Abe Lincoln titles were eligible to vote. Students who read all 22 titles on the list were dubbed “Abe’s Double Deuces.”

District 212 had two “Double Deuces” — Colleen Malo from East Leyden and Sara Wojtasik from West Leyden.

The Abraham Lincoln Award is given annually to the author of the book voted as most outstanding by Illinois students in grades nine through 12. Illinois students voted “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner as the first-place winner, followed by “Beastly” by Alex Flinn in second and “Shiver” by Maggie Stiefvater in third.