VALDOSTA – Lowndes Middle School celebrated Read Across America Day by surprising all sixth-grade students with their own copy of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”

Read Across America Day is observed by schools nationwide, school officials said in a statement. The holiday was established by the National Education Association in 1998 to get kids excited about reading.

LMS recognized Read Across America Day in all grade levels but planned the special surprise for the sixth grade since they checked out the most books from the school’s library in the 2021-22 school year so far.

“We have a dynamic group of avid readers in sixth grade with an insatiable hunger for reading,” said Rachel Kight, LMS media specialist. “These students are in the media center every morning checking out books, so we wanted to celebrate their diligence by growing their home library.”

To make the presentation even more exciting, school officials secured a personalized message from Oliver Phelps who played George Weasley in all of the Harry Potter films which was played for the students during their lunch period.

“Teachers and support staff from every grade level collaborated to put the celebration in motion and it was a joy to experience,” Kight said.

“Keep up with it,” Phelps asserted in the video message. “Getting immersed in a book is a timeless thing you can do.”

As the students exited the lunchroom, they were handed the books wrapped as gifts by school and system administrators.

“I cannot adequately put into words how beautiful it was to see middle schoolers get so excited about receiving a book.” Kight said.