Student readers win in Bikes for Books program

Friday the 13th turned out to be a lucky day for two Garfield Elementary students.

Carson Baldwin-Bonney, 7, and Ashley Sullivan-Garcia, 9, each won a new bicycle last month, courtesy of the North Hill Masonic Lodge’s Bikes for Books program.

The program offers incentives for students to increase their reading and comprehension levels. Organizer Robert Green said the lodge plans to provide two bicycles twice a year to children in several elementary schools.

Currently, the group is working with Garfield, Longfellow and Ridgeview elementaries. The bicycles are provided by the Wal-Mart Charitable Foundation and donations from members of the North Hill Lodge.

Each school sets a reading goal for its students. The names of the students who reach their reading goal are entered into a drawing for the bicycles.

Excitement was high at Garfield on the 13th. Baldwin-Bonney said, “A person choosed my name out of a box. I felt scared and excited. I screamed!”

The affable second-grader said he’s still reading, but he does have something else on his mind. “I’m trying to learn to do a two-wheeler,” he said, referring to his new training-wheels free bicycle.

Teachers and staff at the schools are delighted with the program. Vicki Sax, literacy coach at Ridgeview Elementary said, “Kids run up to me and tell me how many books they’ve read.” The organization chose schools close to their lodge, with a large number of children who receive free or reduced-priced lunch. Sax said offering an incentive like the bicycles is especially important for children who might not have someone to read with them at home.

At Longfellow, teacher Tom Vogt agreed. Seventy-four percent of students at his school are enrolled in the free or reduced-lunch program. He said, “A lot of the time these kids don’t have great modeling at home.” Like Garfield, two students at Longfellow received new bicycles in early February, generating even more excitement for the program.

In addition to the bicycles, the North Hill Lodge provides a pizza party for the class with the highest participation. Longfellow Elementary principal, Julia Lockwood, said the pizza was a big hit with the winning kindergarten class. She believes these kinds of incentives help build reading routines for children at home.

Fostering a love of reading is exactly what the 100 members of the North Hill Lodge wanted to accomplish. “We’re hoping to expand the program next year,” said Green.

When Garfield held their drawing on Feb. 13, Green was there. He said, “Watching those kids close their eyes and cross their fingers was one of the best days I’ve had in years.”

Ashley Sullivan-Garcia was one of those finger-crossers. “When they called my name I didn’t say anything,” she recalled. “My mouth was open and I couldn’t say anything.”

Her mother, Heather Sullivan-Garcia, said when Ashley called her with the news, “I broke down into tears.” Ashley is the only one of her five children who didn’t have a bicycle. “We’ve been struggling to make ends meet.” She paused, her voice growing thick with emotion. “Ashley had been praying and praying that she’d win that bike.”

Garfield Elementary Principal Karen Cloninger said the North Hill Masonic Lodge has been a great partner for their school. “It’s really a way for them to care about kids.”

Carson Baldwin-Bonney seemed to feel that sense of caring. He said, “I think they were really proud of me, too.”