PORT TOWNSEND — Five Blue Heron Middle School students have the opportunity to win a Kindle Fire e-reader thanks to a best-selling author who has awarded the school a grant earmarked for reading programs.
James Patterson, a mass-market author who has written 150 books, awarded the school $3,500.
Earlier this year, the author invited schools around the country to apply for the grants, stating how they are meant to encourage student reading.
Blue Heron librarian Cheryl Brady heard about the program in the spring and applied “on a whim,” never expecting to hear back.
In September, she received an email saying she had made the initial cut out of 27,924 applications. Earlier this month, she received another that said her grant would be awarded.
Brady, who has worked in the school system for 26 years, did not request a specific amount but said in her application the money would be used to purchase reading incentives.
Patterson himself read her application, she was told, and decided to award $3,500 to the cause.
Brady will use the bulk of the grant to purchase five Kindle Fires and award one for each grade level.
Blue Heron’s student body has five grade levels, from 4 through 8.
Whenever individual students read a book, either for class or on their own, they put a slip with their name and the name of the book into a fishbowl.
Beginning in February, school Principal Matthew Holshouser will draw one name from each grade, determining who wins the prize.
“I teach the kids about probability,” Brady said.
If there is any money left over after purchasing the e-readers, it will be used to buy books, Brady said.
Brady said incentive programs encourage students to read for rewards but that they soon learn the benefits of reading.
“I want to convey a love of reading in the kids, whether it is for school or for pleasure,” she said.
Brady said kids love technology, which contributes to the popularity of e-readers, “although many people still love the tactile feeling you get from a real book.”
According to a news release, Patterson allocated $1.75 million of his own money to support school libraries across the country. He awarded grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to each of the 467 selected schools.
Blue Heron is one of four schools selected in Washington, along with Edmonds Woodway High School, Oak Harbor Elementary and Ptarmigan Ridge Elementary in Orting.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.