A lofty promise by their superintendent was all the incentive Richland One students needed not just to meet his Book Club Challenge goal but exceed it by reading nearly twice as many minutes as he challenged them to read.
On January 12, Richland One Superintendent Dr. Todd Walker challenged students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade to read for 2.5 million minutes by March 16. If students met or exceeded that goal, Dr. Walker promised he would skydive out of an airplane. The results of the 2026 Superintendent’s Book Club
Challenge are in – students exceeded the goal by reading for 4,703,436 minutes.
On March 26, Dr. Walker traveled to Skydive Carolina in Chester where he put on his skydiving gear and jumped out of a plane. Students who met the Superintendent’s Book Club Challenge got to watch a video of Dr. Walker’s skydive during a special celebration April 2 at W.A. Perry Middle School.
To become a member of the Superintendent’s Book Club, each student had to read for 1,500 minutes. This year, 824 students became members of the Book Club.
“Your ability to read is going to be critical and instrumental in your lives. Your ability to read is so important because it opens doors. It gives you new exposure. It gives you new ideas that you may have never had before. It’s the one thing that no one can take away from you. We are so excited to continue to encourage you on your journey in reading,” Dr. Walker said to students during the celebration.
During the celebration, Dr. Walker announced the top elementary school students and the top middle school students who read for the most minutes. Surabhi Raut of Rosewood Elementary School was named the top elementary school reader with 16,352 minutes. Trinity Holmes of Heyward Gibbes Middle School was named the top middle school reader with 12,298 minutes.
The top 10 elementary school readers also included:
- Alexandra Peryshkova – Rosewood Elementary School (15,743 minutes)
- Truett Harrison – Bren-Elementary School (11,560 minutes)
- Rahini Chaudhuri – A.C. Moore Elementary School (11,091 minutes)
- Ian Park – Brockman Elementary School (9,731 minutes)
- Andrew Zimbelman – Brennen Elementary School (8,570 minutes)
- Samuel Fisher – Carver-Lyon Elementary School (8,196 minutes)
- Milo Wolfer – Logan Elementary School (7,830 minutes)
- States Hamilton – Brockman Elementary School (6,812 minutes)
- Raven Johnson – Brockman Elementary School
