The students of Sippican School have taken on the Scholastic Summer Challenge with a vengeance.

Using the publisher’s website, students can record the number of minutes they read throughout their summer vacation.

Principal Lyn Rivet and Librarian Jessica Barrett gave the approximately 275 second through fifth grade students the challenge of reading for 150,000 minutes this summer.

They have definitely taken the dare, and so far have logged more than 114,000 minutes.

“It’s the first time we’re asking them to log minutes and see what kind of numbers we get. I think it’s a good place to start and next year we’ll be able to compare and see if we’re making progress,” said Barrett.

Although this is the school’s first time to participate in the Scholastic Summer Challenge, every winter the kids have a reading challenge. This past winter, Barrett said the kids read almost 100,000 minutes over a five-week period. Since the students were able to accomplish that in such a short time, Rivet and Barrett wanted to set the bar a little higher for the summer.

And there is a reward. “Mrs. Rivet told them she would do something wild and crazy,” said Barrett. “That’s still to be decided.”

Since Rivet has danced with other teachers in front of the whole student body, dressed up as a pirate, and gotten into a dunk tank for school functions in the past, whatever she dreams up is sure to be an enjoyable payoff for the kids.

Students still have time to meet the goal. Since some kids may not have access to computers or may be away from home during the summer, they have until Sept. 30 to turn in their reading times.

“I’m hopeful that we’ll meet [the goal],” said Barrett said.