Back for another year, the BSM book club has made a switch from teacher-run to student-led. Due to this change, the book club’s returning members are hoping for a stronger response from students in grades 9 to 12 and an increase in the number of participants joining this year.

Ms. Paula Leider, the book club organizer, described the reasoning behind the change as a means of reaching a larger group of students. “There were more teachers who were showing up for the book club than students and we really want to help promote more of a culture of reading here at BSM,” she said. The leader for the first meeting is senior Carly Bjorgan, who will help guide the discussion. Afterwards “we pick a new leader for the next time…that person will find five books that they would recommend,” said Ms. Leider.

At the book club “anything goes,” said Ms. Leider. Reading anything from non-fiction to fiction, the group gets to decide on what they want to read. The first book is In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, and the first meeting will be held on January 6. The meetings are “an hour after school one time a month, through the rest of the school year,” said Ms. Leider. Students can join at any time.