Photo: Carlos Jose Reyes - Cristian Rodriguez - Martha Esther Madera - Randolfo Jimenez - Jose Manuel Bueno
Five students from the Dominican Republic broke the “Reading Aloud” record after reading aloud for close to 300 HOURS!
Guinness World Records documented the breaking of the previous record, set at 240 hours in 2009 by a group of Florida college students.
“There is no time to sleep, nor even to eat,” he said. “Sometimes they are reading by themselves at dawn, without support.”
Only 39 percent of primary schools in the Caribbean nation have a library, compared with 51 percent of primary schools across Latin America, according to statistics from the United Nations.
“We’re going to make reading hip,” said José Manuel Bueno, a 19-year-old philosophy student.
The team trained for over 2 years, reading up to three daily hours.
The students broadcasted over the internet a continuous reading of the works of historian and former Dominican President Juan Bosch. They had planned to stop shortly after beating the record, but at the last minute decided to extend their deadline, and read aloud for 365 hours, one hour for each day of the year.
HS-News wishes to congratulate Carlos Jose Reyes, Cristian Rodriguez, Martha Esther Madera, Randolfo Jimenez and Jose Manuel Bueno for their commitment to reading, and their Guinness Records accomplishment.
