Sunrise on reading at Garden City High School
On Feb. 12, Garden City High School students and faculty members came together through literature for the ninth annual whole-school community read program.
Coordinated by high school librarian Margaux Calemmo, this year’s event featured the contemporary dystopian thriller “Sunrise on the Reaping,” a prequel to “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. The gathering was the culminating event of an ongoing initiative that began with student and staff voting on a title to read collectively in December of 2025.
The final reading celebration featured small group “chat station” discussions about the themes of the novel and parallels to modern day society. For the second year, the event had a special twist as the chat stations were run entirely by student volunteers from the high school’s English language arts classes.
Guided by their student facilitators, with support from teachers from all subject areas, students shared their perspectives on the character development and themes of the novel. Emphasis was placed on the contemporary aspects of the book, as this year’s selection, a dystopian novel, was a departure from the historical and realistic fiction that has often been chosen as the winning title.
The whole-school community read is a unifying event that has become part of the fabric of Garden City High School, with a large part of the student population from grades 9-12 participating. Planning by the committee typically begins in September, and the voting process is always inclusive of student voice and choice, as students are given three titles to choose from with “Sunrise on the Reaping” emerging as this year’s winner.
The growing popularity of the whole-school community read at Garden City High School over the years has promoted interest from other school districts and public libraries, thereby prompting Calemmo to coauthor the book “The Whole-School Community Read,” published by Bloomsbury in November 2025.
The district is thankful to the PTA for donating copies of the book and the Garden City Public Library for making print, electronic and audiobook versions available.