Sayville Schools Hold Turf Field Reading Takeover

The Sayville School District transformed the old junior high turf field into a giant outdoor reading space on Thursday, October 15, for its inaugural Reading Turf Field Takeover. Students, families, teachers, administrators, staff, and community members came together in an effort to set a record for the largest Silent Book Club.

Readers of all ages brought a book and a blanket or chair and settled in on the field to read together. Families spread out side by side across the turf, with parents reading alongside their young children as the community shared a quiet evening devoted to the joy of reading.

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"It was incredible to see so many students, families and community members reading together on our beautiful turf field," said John Lorentz, Interim Superintendent of Schools. "This event was a wonderful reminder of how much our community values reading and how much fun it can be to share it. Thank you to our librarians, teachers, staff and families for helping make the first Reading Turf Field Takeover such a success, and to everyone who donated books to help others discover the same love of reading."

The idea came from the district's librarians, who were inspired by the silent book clubs they saw popping up all over social media and decided it would be fun to host one of their own. Their goal was to celebrate reading as grandly as the district and community celebrate athletes. Holding the event on the turf field also gave students who may not be athletes a chance to shine on the field.

The evening also featured raffle baskets, a book-themed pumpkin decorating contest, hands-on book activities for children and local book vendors. Attendees supported donation drives benefiting The Book Fairies and the Sayville Store, dropping off donated books to help put reading materials in the hands of others.

According to the Silentbook.club, a global book club network, the largest silent book club gathering on record took place in Jakarta, Indonesia, with more than 500 readers. In its first year, Sayville's event drew nearly half that number, and the librarians are already bursting with ideas for the next one.

For more information on the Sayville Union Free School District, visit the district's website at sayvilleschools.org. Happenings in the district can also be found on the district's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/saydistrictpr.