By Jason Wesseldyk, Sports Editor
As the elementary literacy coach for Otsego Public Schools, Gina Watson is always brainstorming creative ways to encourage the district’s students to read more.
And out of those brainstorming sessions comes “Let’s Get Bookin’ Around Otsego,” a reading challenge that involves visiting local businesses to collect letters in order to solve a secret code.
The theme of the challenge is “Yeti to Read?” and features the famous snow-dwelling creature. It is scheduled to run from Friday, Jan. 21, through Monday, Feb. 21.
Watson came up with the idea for this challenge after coming across an article from 2020 describing a community-wide, book-based scavenger hunt hosting by the Berlin-Peck Memorial Library in Connecticut that involved children visiting various businesses.
“I am currently a member of the Otsego Rotary Club and was looking for a project that would partner Otsego Public Schools and downtown businesses around literacy,” Watson said. “I did some research and found (the article about the scavenger hunt) and it sparked my interest.
“I also have always wanted to do a reading challenge that involved the fictitious—or maybe not—Yeti in our state of Michigan, so I linked the two and came up with this new reading challenge with the theme ‘Are You Yeti to Read?.’”
To complete the challenge, students and families will follow be given a map of the downtown area that indicates which businesses are participating. At each location, a QR code will be scanned showing a 20-to-30 second video recording of the business owner sharing his or her response to the question: Why is reading important?
A letter will then be given, which should be written on the map. After visiting all of the participating businesses, students are to use the letters they collected to solve a mystery message, which they turn in to be entered to win games and books.
Yeti tracks will lead up to each of the participating businesses and a stuffed yeti will be displayed in the windows of those businesses.
“The response of local businesses to this challenge has been great,” Watson said. “I was hoping this will be a perfect time to promote visiting downtown during the lull of winter.”
Participating businesses as of Monday, Jan. 17, are: The Petal Company; the Otsego Fire Department; 9/8 Tattoo Collective; Farmers Insurance Agency; Alice!; Amish Oak; Judy’s Restaurant; Bob’s True Value; Our Table Restaurant; SevenEast Hair Salon; Otsego Shoppers Guide; and the Otsego Fire Department.
“I am hoping for as many students and families as possible to participate in the challenge,” Watson said. “I hope it will encourage them to get out from behind those computer screens and explore our downtown.”
A grant from the Otsego Public Schools Foundation provided funding for the challenge.
