CHESTERTOWN — Every student in H.H. Garnet Elementary School has started reading the same book thanks in large part to a donation from the Chestertown Lions Club.

For this year's One School, One Book program, Garnet students will be reading "the Chocolate Touch" by Patrick Skene Catling.

The Chestertown Lions Club has donated money to the One School, One Book program for a number of years now. This year's donation of $2,000 helped the school purchase 370 copies of "The Chocolate Touch."

"The entire staff and student body at H.H. Garnet Elementary School would like to thank the Lions Club for their generous donation. We look forward to participating in this initiative every year, and they make it possible for us," said Heather Davis, the school's Title I interventionist and academic coach.  

This year's One School, One Book title was kept a secret from students. There was a contest to see who could guess it.

Clues were posted throughout the school in the days leading up to the big reveal at an assembly held Monday, March 7. Students performed a skit about "The Chocolate Touch" as a final clue. Every student received a chocolate bar at the assembly.

This year's contest winners were, first-graders Benjamin Boumiea, Jaxon Hively, Reyna Llmas Ramirez, Swayze Crew, Arianna McGinnis, Jayon Taylor, Jordyn Tilghman, Richard Spray and Landon Gomer; in second grade, Wilson Downes, DeAndre Conover, Jaiden Gillis, Charlotte Conover and Sidney Rieckhof Mendoza; third-grader Reagan Pettitt; and in fifth grade, Autumn Smolens, Rebecca Phillips, Blake Warrington and Vivien Harris.
 The winners were able to choose a prize of their choice from the school's prize chest.

Copies of "The Chocolate Touch" were distributed to students the following day.

The One School, One Book program is a powerful literacy initiative designed to help an entire school community — children and grownups alike — fall in love with books.

Students receive nightly reading assignments, usually two chapters at a time. Every morning there will be a trivia question based on the reading from the night before.

There will be a drawing for prizes for correct answers.

Garnet staff also recorded videos of themselves reading the book aloud. The videos are posted on the school's website and Facebook page.

The school encourages the entire family to participate in the One School, One Book program.

"Reading aloud at home is valuable because it better prepares children to be effective readers, and it is also a fun, worthwhile family activity. With this program, we aim to build a community of readers at our school. Everyone — students, parents, teachers, even administrative staff — will all be following along together," Davis said.