June 1, 2024
By: Bill Conger
5th grade student Karson Mullinax was the recipient of the top reading award this year at DeKalb West School. DWS School Librarian Amanda Mullinax, who is also his mom, presented Karson with the Amanda Mullinax Librarian Award for earning the most Accelerated Reader points since starting at DeKalb West. He has earned 1,877.3 points in his school career, securing him a prestigious spot on the plaque in the school library.
“He was proud that he accomplished a goal of his,” Mrs. Mullinax said. “He wanted his name on the plaque in the library!”
Karson is a brilliant student who shies away from the spotlight. But two of his teachers had no trouble bragging on the kind-hearted, studious young man.
“Karson was one of those students that was constantly reading in class,” says Karson’s 4th grade teacher Cindy Snow. “As soon as he finished with his work, he was reading a book. Free time…reading a book. During math class…reading a book. He would read any chance he would get. It seemed that reading was his “escape”, and he could totally zone everything else out while reading.”
“Karson is one of very few students in my many years of teaching that I have watched first hand find the joy in reading,” 5th grade ELA teacher Rachel Desimone said. “He will complete his schoolwork and then back into the book he goes! The AR point system encourages some students as they watch their rocket soar to new heights, but I think Karson would stick with reading even if it weren’t for that. This says a lot about him and his love for reading.”
During his 4th grade years, Mullinax was already reading the lengthy Harry Potter series. Of late, he enjoys the Percy Jackson series and rereading the Wimpy Kids books.
“He has always loved books!” his mom said. “We all read to him when he was younger, which I believe showed him the importance. Here’s a funny: It wasn’t long after he learned to read himself that he made it very clear that he didn’t want me to read aloud to him anymore. He said, “You read too slow!” Which, in comparison to him now, is true; he is a much faster reader than I am!”
His teachers see that Karson’s passion for reading is reflected in his academics.
“At the end of this school year, Karson earned “Leader of the Pack” awards in every subject area, meaning he had one of the top three highest averages in the grade,” Desimone explained. “Karson has truly excelled over the course of the year in every type of content learning.”
“Due to the fact that he is such an avid reader, he has always had a more expanded vocabulary than most students,” says Snow. “He is quick to understand and create puns and figurative language, and we enjoy (outside of school) using quite a bit of sarcasm and joking with each other,” she adds with a laugh. “Also, his writing shows evidence of the fact that he loves to read. He is imaginative, humorous, and detailed in various forms of writing.”