No Mystery Here: Literacy Night Engages Families into a Reading Adventure

When families arrived at Independence Elementary for Literacy Night, they immediately became detectives, focused on solving the “Case of the Disappearing School Resource Officer (SRO).”

The event’s mystery theme was the brainchild of the school’s reading specialist, Wendy Radcliffe. Once she settled on the theme, she enlisted help from her colleagues to build out the event’s activities…and clues. Literacy Night quickly transformed into an immersive, school‑wide adventure designed to spark a love of reading in students, with creative stations that blended literacy, problem solving and fun. “When I heard (the theme) was a mystery, I was so excited!” exclaimed Independence fourth grader Isabella. “I was really excited because I like to figure things out.”

The build-up began before the event even started. Morning announcements dropped daily clues teasing the identity of “mystery readers” to build anticipation among the students. On the day of the event, students watched a video revealing a surprising twist: Deputy Todd Cordes, Independence’s SRO, had been “kidnapped.” Students and their families would have to read, collaborate and think like detectives to solve the case.

Members of the school’s student council welcomed families and distributed clue sheets along with a special file folder. Inside were a mystery‑themed bookmark, a ticket for the mystery book swap and a map to direct families to the clue locations. Students also learned how to read like a detective, reviewing vocabulary words like “red herring,” “sleuth” and “alibi.” From there, the investigation began.

Students and families traveled from station to station throughout the building, gathering clues to solve the case. Highlights included a classroom-turned-crime scene station, a readers’ theater for students to test out their acting skills and a lively book walk for participants to win their next read. Craft stations allowed students to create detective hats, magnifying glasses and secret messages, while photo props added to the fun. 

“One of the highlights for me was seeing former (Independence) teachers and students return as our Mystery Readers,” said Principal John Mattingly. “It created a wonderful full-circle moment. Watching our current students light up as these familiar faces revealed themselves—people who once had such an impact on our school—added a special layer of excitement and nostalgia to the night.”

The cafeteria enticed visitors to sit down and play games like Guess Who and Clue, reinforcing the evening’s theme while encouraging families to play together. Another favorite stop was the mystery book swap, featuring wrapped, donated books that added an element of surprise and excitement to choosing something new to read.

Throughout the night, students worked alongside parents, siblings, teachers and staff to piece together the mystery. At the end of the evening, a QR code revealed the surprise twist: Radcliffe appeared in a photo with Cordes, confirming that she was the kidnapper. 

While following the clues alongside her mom and best friend, Isabella began to suspect Radcliffe but was surprised. “The closer (I got) to the end, I thought ‘there’s no way it’s Mrs. Radcliffe!’”

More than 200 students attended Literacy Night, joined by parents and siblings, making the evening a true community event. In addition to teacher volunteers, the student council members played a key role by making signs, wrapping books, welcoming families and helping run stations.

The goal of the night was simple but powerful: to share a love of literacy. “As we know, literacy is the gateway to all learning, and events like this help reinforce that message in a powerful, hands-on way,” said Mattingly. “Literacy Night gives families tools and strategies they can take home, while also building students’ confidence as readers. More importantly, it turns reading into a shared, enjoyable experience. When families and schools partner together around literacy, kids experience both support and inspiration—and that’s when real growth happens.”

“To see the students sharing the experience with their parents, seeing the smiles and interaction between parents, students and staff was very rewarding,” said Radcliffe. Students agreed - with their favorite moments including the book walk, solving the mystery and spending time reading and playing alongside their parents. Isabella walked away from the book walk with a new read from her favorite series, The Magic Treehouse. 

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Radcliffe, with students already asking when they can do something like this again. “The support of so many staff members was awesome,” Radcliffe said. “Big kudos to everyone who pitched in to help - they took the idea and ran with it.”

With the creativity and collaboration that went into planning the event, it’s no mystery why Literacy Night was such a huge success.