Increasing Reading on Campus

COURTESY OF DEERFIELD COMMUNICATIONS

Over Fall Family Weekend during the 2025-26 school year, Head of School John Austin spoke to visiting parents about how “the digital and media revolution” was a challenge that “kept [him] up at night worrying about the slow, steady, and increasingly well-documented collapse of literacy.” 

To combat this decline, Dr. Austin brainstormed initiatives that would increase the literacy capacity of Deerfield students. He shared four fundamental efforts already integrated into Deerfield to maintain a community with a greater appreciation for literature and communication: A “long form academic schedule” to develop sustained attention, “small classes with low student-teacher ratios,” “micro-communities” across campus, such as advisories and sit-down tables, and approaches for “technology [to center] around human relationships”.

His sentiments have translated across the curriculum in different English classes as well. English Teacher Samuel Morris, teaching two 9th Grade Voices and Visions of Justice classes, noted that, “as teachers, we are all keenly aware that education is changing. We are all trying to react to this new environment where technology is so much more present that it might actually be inhibiting the learning opportunities that students otherwise have.” He says that reading is an active solution to maintaining a “classic, fundamental learning experience” as it is. Reading, as Dr. Austin noted, is “the skill that allows you to access all other learning”.

Mr. Morris integrated two weeks of leisure reading and a book report into the schedule for both his English classes. Hayden Cwiertnia ’29, reflecting on her experience during the two weeks, stated, “Reading is a very grounding yet productive way to spend your time. In the busy atmosphere of Deerfield, however, finding time to dedicate to reading is increasingly difficult, but these past two weeks have given me more initiative to read more and inspired me to carry on those habits further.”

Libby Andrews ’29 echoed Cwiertnia’s sentiment: “I actually did the phone-free week, and I’ve been able to replace scrolling with reading, something that I have definitely found helpful to my relationship with literature.” Both students emphasized that time limitations had prevented them from reading in the past, and having integrated reading time into their class curricula allowed them to strengthen their literacy skills.

Another initiative across Deerfield’s campus to incorporate reading into daily lives was the Readathon, held by the library and the Hugz club on the 13th of February. Founder and Leader of Hugz Club Mikaylah Meertins ‘26 sheds light on her initiatives to promote wellness and mental health. She said, “I am personally obsessed with reading, but I can’t find a lot of time to dedicate towards literature in the rushed lifestyle at Deerfield.” Additionally, she spends time over breaks to indulge in literature, and when mentioning that to Director of Boyden Library Halie Theoharides, the idea sparked to begin an all-Deerfield Readathon.

Ms. Theo emphasized, “With the readathon event, the library staff really wanted to allow students to have the space to think about and promote reading. To do this, I called back the rich history of libraries and books to bring communities together.” She echoed that the importance of reading underscores the role of the Boyden Library as a space to make reading accessible and encourage students to get more involved in the literary world.

Grae Gunther ’29, who participated in the Readathon, said, “[The event] was such a fun and helpful way to explore my love for reading even more. Sitting down with my friends and being able to read was a relaxing way to spend my Friday night, and I’ll definitely want to do it again.”

As Ninth Grade English Teacher Ryan Tyree recognized, "Absorbing a text for the sake of knowledge, curiosity or pleasure can mend the edges of our intrinsic identity”. Ultimately, under Dr. Austin’s framework, Deerfield’s campus has undergone many initiatives to increase students’ engagement and—hopefully—love for reading.