Benton sixth-grader Alivia Kathalynas playfully admits that her friends think she “likes school a bit too much.”She laughs playfully, all but implying she agrees with their assessment. While playful at heart, Alivia sees herself as a learner and has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Alivia moved from West Frankfort to Benton in the third grade. The school’s unofficial motto, “Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow, Rangers Forever”, quickly led her to feel at home. Learning is her passion, and reading is her primary vehicle to that end.

“Whenever I was still in grade school, I liked how they had the motto when you first walked in. It felt meaningful to me,” shares Alivia, who read 112 books as a fifth-grader.

With the start of her sixth-grade year in August, she reset the count and is working on book thirty-seven. A noticeable sense of well-deserved pride washes over her as she discusses her dedication to reading. Only a few months into the school year, she’s well on her way to beating last year’s number despite recently expanding her choices in literature.

Alivia started reading a few poetry books; she says she mostly reads fantasy books. She’s recently expanded to include science-fiction, historical, and realistic fiction. While she continues diversifying her genres, fantasy remains her favorite. Liz Kessler is her favorite author, and she especially enjoys the Emily Windsnap series, which tells ‘Six Swishy Tails of Land and Sea,’ through the vantage of a half-mermaid, half-human with magical powers.

Alivia feels that there’s something for everyone when it comes to reading. “You must find something you like. There are a lot of types of books. You can read different types of books and find the genre you like. For me, it is fantasy. I love to imagine.”

While Alivia suggests she’s only “situationally creative,” she loves art. She has been practicing the piano, off and on, since she got one as a birthday present. She also enjoys spending

time with her friends, plays softball in the summers, and has been dancing—tap, jazz, and ballet—for as long as she can remember.

Alivia is also the oldest of three siblings, sharing that she has two brothers—one each in fourth and first grades. She enjoys being the big sister and that while she often acts as her brothers’ moderator, she admits she can sometimes get dragged into their interactions.

Regardless of whether her brothers get along or pester one another, as brothers can, Alivia takes great pride in how her family interacts with each other and with the world at large. “I like how we get to do a lot of fun things with my parents. When we’re at home, we don’t just sit around. We go outside, we swim, we talk, we play. We’re active,” says Alivia.

Looking towards next year, Alivia is excited to begin enrolling in advanced courses in seventh grade. Excited by the challenge of more advanced math and sciences, she wants to continue to challenge herself, grow, and learn as she works towards her future ambitions, which will require a lifetime of active learning.

“I want to be a pediatrician,” shares Alivia. “At first, I wanted to be a teacher, because I like working with kids. I want to help kids.”

Alivia’s passion for reading and her aspiration to shape the future, whether as a pediatrician healing children or as a teacher sparking their curiosity, ensures her journey will have a significant impact. Her story, unfolding with each step she takes—making us proud in the journey— promises to enrich the lives of children, just as others have enriched hers.