This year, the Calvert County Board of Education has changed the requirements for high school summer reading. Instead of the normal “read two books and do a project” routine, summer reading has been made much more flexible.

With the new assignment, students have a much smaller summer workload. For starters, summer reading has been made optional for students who are not taking an A.P. English class. Instead, the assignment will be made as extra credit. Those taking an AP English class must choose two books off a list that offers very few options. For example, students entering 11th grade and taking A.P. Literature and Composition have the option of reading one of three books, An American Childhood, The Color of Water, and The Things They Carried. and answering discussion questions about them. The Great Gatsby is a required reading.

Students taking A.P. Language and Composition Examination have the option of choosing just two of the extensive list of novels and keeping a journal on them. With the decision to change summer reading, many students around Northern are about to have a much more pleasurable summer.

–Matt Schwartz, The Patriot Press