SHELTON, Wash. — In a daring feat to promote reading among students, Chris Meyer, a dedicated Physical Education teacher at Southside School in Shelton, embarked on an adrenaline-fueled adventure by skydiving while reading a book selected by the students.
The stunt was the culmination of a three-week reading challenge aimed at encouraging students to pick up books during their summer break and to avoid the learning loss that tends to follow the school year.
The innovative reading challenge captured the attention and imagination of the students at Southside School. The idea was inspired by a teacher in Virginia who shared a skydiving video welcoming her new third-grade class.
“I wanted to figure out a way to boost that idea and I realized we had connections to a famous skydiver here at Kapowsin," Meyer said. Skydive Kapowsin is home to Luke Aikins, who made global news in 2016 when he jumped from 25,000 feet without a parachute and landed safely in a net below.
“I figured that’s the person I want to jump with me!” said Meyer. Aikins agreed to jump tandem with Meyer as he read from an iPad.
The children participating in the challenge were given the unique opportunity to vote for the book they wanted Mr. Meyer to read during his thrilling skydiving adventure. In a nod to the classic works of Dr. Seuss, the students overwhelmingly selected “Mr. Brown Can MOO! Can you?” a beloved book of wonderful noises by Dr. Seuss.
While plummeting through the air at breakneck speeds, Meyer managed to maintain his focus and composure.
His experience was captured on several different camera angles. The audio of him reading the book aloud was captured in a helmet microphone.
“Jumping from 14,000 feet and plummeting at 120 miles per hour is a good distraction but I was relatively focused and didn’t want to let the kids down,” said Meyer. Despite the exhilarating circumstances, Meyer astoundingly made only six minor mistakes while reading.
"Reading can take you to unimaginable places, and today, I wanted to show our students that literature can be an adventure," said Meyer. The P.E. teacher admits his class isn’t focused on reading but knows all too well how his peers have had to make up for lost ground during the pandemic. “It’s just a fun attempt to remind kids the sky's the limit and they really can find joy in reading.”
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