In honor of Read Across America Week, which officially kicks off on Feb. 27 and wraps up on March 3, the Highland Home School Flying Squadron decided to host a contest.

Each year, a shirt is made to commemorate the week of Read Across America, but this year there is a new twist; this year, the shirts will be decorated with art personally provided by HHS first grader Greyson Matthews.

Amy Campbell, HHS librarian, introduced the Read Across America program to the students of HHS when she arrived four years ago. Since then, interest in the program has continued to grow and inspire students to delve into the world of literature.

“I thought it would be more special if the kid designed the shirt we had instead of using generic shirts. So, I thought a contest would be a good idea,” she said.

Students in grades K4 through sixth participated in the contest, and Matthews will receive a free shirt as his contest prize.

“We looked on Pinterest and we saw this drawing, and we thought it was cool so we did it,” Matthews said when asked how the idea for his drawing came about.

As an avid reader of dinosaur books and a lifelong member of the HHS family, Matthews understands the value of reading. His favorite thing about being a student of HHS is the atmosphere of the school and the fun he gets to enjoy every day.

“Reading is the basis of everything. If you can’t read, you can’t really do anything,” Campbell said.

“So, we want to make sure they are good readers so they can be good thinkers.”