Students from Willowcreek Middle School and Lakeridge Junior High represented the Alpine School District at the Utah State Capitol rotunda on Friday, Oct. 2, as part of Utah's inaugural statewide Read-a-Thon. According to the district, more than 275,000 students and adults participated across the state by reading in schools, libraries, and workplaces.
During the event, First Lady Abby Cox welcomed students to the Capitol. Each attendee received a free book donated by Marissa's Books through the Salt Lake Chamber's Utah Community Builders initiative. Governor Spencer Cox also appeared at the rotunda toward the end of the gathering and delivered a statewide broadcast address. Cox mentioned that he deleted social media from his phone to create time for classics, such as Victor Hugo's Les Misérables.
At Lakeridge Junior High, students have been incorporating reading into daily routines since the start of the school year through a book in every backpack requirement. Principal Derek Elison stated in a district article published Monday, Sept. 28, that students are now reaching for books instead of phones during free time in class.
Other local schools marked the day through various literacy activities. Lehi High School hosted a daylong celebration featuring reading bingo and scheduled reading breaks. At Eagle Valley Elementary, visiting mentors from Cedar Valley High shared favorite books and discussed the importance of reading with younger students. Willowcreek Middle School dedicated 30 minutes of its Pride Time block to schoolwide reading.
The statewide reading initiative aligns with efforts to improve literacy in Utah. A report from the University of Utah Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, covered by the Lehi Free Press, noted that only 50.3% of Utah third graders met grade-level reading benchmarks in 2025. To address this, state lawmakers passed SB127 in 2022, which set a goal of 70% third-grade reading proficiency by 2027.
