INDIANAPOLIS — Springtime at Emmaus Lutheran School grew some healthy competition.
"Ms. Walkman is our language arts teacher, and she came to me a few months ago and said, 'Hey, I’ve got this idea to get our kids reading again, and here’s the thing I want to do.' She knows I’m a big 'Harry Potter' fan, so she came up with the idea to them if they made their goal," Emmaus Lutheran School Principal Pastor Raymond Smith said.
The challenge pitted the principal against students.
"What we want to do is we want to encourage them to read more," Smith said.
The small, but mighty, student body of 38 was challenged with reading 300 books in two months.
It was a challenge made even more difficult without a working library in the school.
"The teachers would go to The Salvation Army, we went to Mission 27, but mostly we went to Indy Reads," teacher Lori Wachtman said. "It's wherever we could find books."
Pre-K through seventh grade students went through 892 books, shattering their goal.
This week, they reaped their reward: Smith will read three hours of "Harry Potter" to the students dressed as Satchel Slytherin.
In Smith's "book," it's a win-win.
"In a day where electronics seem to be the big thing, getting kids with their noses in books and reading at all levels, kindergarten through seventh grade, has been fantastic to see," Smith said.
He hopes it builds a foundation of future readers.
"Who knows? Maybe we'll spark some kids to read on their own and really enjoy books," Smith said.