December is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only do students and staff members ask for reading recommendations for the upcoming holiday break, they request help to find the perfect book for a child, friend or family member. With the thousands of books published each year, selecting the right book for someone could seem like a daunting task. However, it is easier than you may think. 
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The requests came nonstop the first few weeks of school. Nearly every Lakes football player who visited the ILC wanted to get his hands on one of our two copies of Tony Dungy’sUncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance. Our hold list grew. One student preferred not to be added to the list, but he continued to ask about the title two months into the year, hoping for a stroke of good luck each time he wandered in for a new SSR book.

​Why the hype? Because Lakes football head coach Luke Mertens framed his team’s 2014 season around the messages the former Indianapolis Colts coach lays out in his book about living a life of significance. It goes to show you how much of an influence teachers and coaches can have over their students to read.