Reading is Cool at Berea

By: GREENVILLE, S.C. | News Channel 7
Published: March 09, 2010

When a Greenville County high school missed making its Annual Yearly Progress goal by one category, they decided to do something about it! The media specialist at Berea High School knew she had to get boys to want to read more. Her idea started a trend which made a book club cool at school and left the girls wanting a club of their own.

If you hit the halls of Berea during the day, you might not notice anything different about this high school, but step inside the library during lunch, and you'll find something quite special. The fancy tablecloths, fresh flowers, and catered meal are only part of the appeal. Student Julisa Erby says, "We have a time of the month when we can just get away from the boys, a whole bunch of girls come together,” and they talk about books - the ones they've read, and ones their friends should read. "It just reading at Berea, is just the thing to do,” says Instructional Coach Megan Bishop.

The girls call themselves the Glam Girls, inspired the Bad Boyz Reading Club, the brainchild of media specialist Madeline Fletcher. Fletcher says, "because we realized our boys are not reading as much as our girls,” she used boy books, a catchy name, cool font, and fried chicken to market it like a business. By the end of the year, they had more than 100 members and a waiting list. "Every single member of the basketball team is a member of the Bad Boyz Read-A-Book Club."

The girls decided they wanted their own club. "It’s book, beauty, brains. It's all about the B, like it's all about Berea,"says Erby.

It also means extra credit in some classes. Educators at Berea hope its boosts that AYP score...but what's happening in the meantime can’t be measured by a test. Bishop says, "I mean what high school can say that - that reading is the cool thing to do?"

More than 30% of Berea high's girls are members of the Glam Girls. The program is funded by special grants.