Getting your students to read (and enjoy it!) can be a challenging task for you as a teacher. While some students are avid readers who can't wait to crack open a book during independent reading time or before bed, others are more reluctant. That's where HMH's annual Word UP Challenge comes into play.
We designed the contest to get students excited about reading, and it's open to schools currently using the HMH Reading Counts! program. Now, HMH is honoring the schools where students read the most words, either in literature or nonfiction books—whether at home, in school, or in any setting of their choice between September 4, 2018 and February 11, 2019. We calculated scores through Reading Counts!, our Lexile®-based independent reading program that tracks students’ success on the books they read.
Check out the list of the winning schools—and the MVPs, or runners-up—below. Winners get prizes including party certificates, visits from Curious George, a school plaque, a banner, and medals for students. The winners and MVPs below are divided into four contest categories based on student enrollment. Thank you to all the students for their hard work—and the educators who teach them each and every day!
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CATEGORY A: 50–149 students in Reading Counts!
| School | Location | Words Read |
| WINNER: Xavier Catholic School | Leavenworth, Kansas | 12,061,369 |
| MVP: Saeger Middle School | St. Charles, Missouri | 9,799,356 |
CATEGORY B: 150–300 students in Reading Counts!
| School | Location | Words Read |
| WINNER: St. Benedict Catholic School | Atchison, Kansas | 52,715,621 |
| MVP: St. Matthew Cathedral School | South Bend, Indiana | 12,723,624 |
CATEGORY C: 301–500 students in Reading Counts!
| School | Location | Words Read |
| WINNER: Sweeny Junior High School | Sweeny, Texas | 106,771,790 |
| MVP: Our Lady of Las Vegas | Las Vegas, Nevada | 64,933,389 |
CATEGORY D: 500+ students in Reading Counts!
| School | Location | Words Read |
| WINNER: Waynesville Middle School | Waynesville, North Carolina | 347,984,990 |
| MVP: Robert L. Nickels Intermediate School | Byron Center, Michigan | 279,185,156 |
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Learn more about HMH’s Reading Counts! independent reading program, and watch this website for announcements about next year's Word UP Challenge.
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