Melissa Jackson, a Library Media Specialist in Washington D.C., decided to get a jump on the WrestleMania Reading Challenge and incorporate it into high school orientation rather than wait for Teen Read Week (Oct. 17-23).  Here is the letter she sent to WWE Teachers' Corner:

I am the librarian at Ballou Senior High School in Washington D.C.  We have a population of 1,200 students. During our orientation sessions I charged every student to accept the WrestleMania 27 pledge to read five books. I shared that their acceptance of the pledge starts the day of their orientation, noting that wrestling may not be their "thing," maybe another sport is, but accept the pledge to read. I believe most of the students were excited about knowing that their librarian challenged them to read "only" five books without writing a report and the fact that they can win two free tickets to WrestleMania XXVII, $2,000 and free books for our library.

Jazmine Taylor, an avid reader and a lover of books, was our first challenger to meet the pledge. She read five books to her little brother, who is a huge WWE fan. Jazmine's smile was wide with excitement to receive the TOPPS cards for her little brother. Jazmine is one of many students who have fulfilled the requirements of the pledge to read!

Thank you, WWE, for providing a way to build some excitement around Teen Read Week, as well as an opportunity to reach out to reluctant readers. We are counting down to 1,200 students in total at Ballou Senior High, Washington D.C.

Melissa Jackson, Library Media Specialist

Find out how you can take the pledge to read five books and win a trip to WrestleMania XXVII by visiting wrestlemaniareadingchallenge.com.