Cedar Valley Elementary in the Kent School District received a $4,000 grant to support its school library.
As part of an ongoing effort to keep books and reading a No. 1 priority in the United States, bestselling author James Patterson, with Scholastic Reading Club made a commitment to help save school libraries nationwide. This year, Patterson donated $1.75 million to school libraries 467 nationwide, with grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.
Cedar Valley, which serves students in Covington, was selected from 27,924 applications. The school will be able to purchase between 400 to 600 books with the grant.
“Receiving this grant will help our school have a wonderful collection of current materials that are of interest to the students, with relevant information that supports Common Core,” Cedar Valley librarian Cheryl Taylor said in a press release. “Students, in order to become lifelong learners, need opportunities to just enjoy reading. Being able to provide a variety of high-interest books and materials will go a long way to not only enrich their academic performance but also steer them towards a love of reading. I’m excited to actually start purchasing the much needed materials and introducing them to the students.”
Scholastic Reading Club will match each dollar of Patterson’s donation with bonus points teachers can use to acquire books and other materials for their classrooms.
“It continues to be inspiring and motivating to work with James Patterson to support school libraries across the country,” said Judy Newman, president of Scholastic Reading Club. “Jim’s unwavering commitment to helping children read better lives rich with books is transformative. Scholastic is thrilled to be working in such an effective partnership.”
The grants applications were open to any school in the U.S. serving kindergarten through 12th grade. Applicants completed an online application which asked, “What would your school do with $1,000 to $10,000?”
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