BRES students show off literacy with Bikes for Books
Boothbay Region Elementary School had yet another success celebrating literacy with the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation program Bikes for Books. The May 31 gathering of students grades two through five highlighted the accomplishments of 54 students participating in the program and 27 winners of brand new, shiny bikes.
East Boothbay resident Thomas Pulkkinen, of the Grand Lodge of Maine, spoke to the importance of, and his Masonic brotherhood's commitment to, literacy. The Grand Lodge of Maine will present over 3,000 bicycles this year across the state including Southport and Edgecomb, said Pulkinnen.
“Free masonry is all about trying to improve ourselves as individuals ... and that's why we go to school, to improve ourselves. The whole purpose of Bikes for Books is to encourage you to read more, to learn more about everything in life – about sports figures, about our world, about people who make a difference in our lives,” he said.
The program runs from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31 said BRES library educational technician Joan Chatterton who headed the program. Students would fill out a report showing a book was read, how many pages it was, and turn it into Chatterton who would log the entry.
“The more books you read, the more chance you have to get a bike … We had 251 books and 34,543 pages read … We want to recognize the top reader for the 2018-2019 Bikes for Books program – a third grader who read 26 books and 5,084 pages. Congratulations to Natalie Flagg.”
Fifth grader Tatum French placed second with 11 books and 2,749 pages read. fourth grader A.J. Crocker placed third with 16 books and 3,447 pages and second grader Cameron Mayotte placed fourth with four books and 691 pages.
After the top four students were announced, the rest of the winners were drawn at random.
Said Principal Mark Tess, “What you don't get to see are the people behind the scenes who do all this work, so I want to be able to thank the people for the Bikes for Books program. I'd like to thank Ms. Chatterton, Mr. Pulkkinen, Ms. Sharp, Ms. Dionne, and Ms. Gordon.”
