BRIDGTON — The Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club has teamed up with the Stevens Brook Elementary School to support striving readers.

The club was awarded a $4,500 grant by the larger Rotary District to provide specialized classroom reading materials and new books for the school library. But more books aren’t the answer unless the children can read them, so the Rotary Club is recruiting Rotarians and community members to give children in the third and fourth grades an extra opportunity to practice reading.

Jessica Emery, the Literacy Instructor at the school, is thrilled with the additional new classroom books. “These are all high interest books that the children will want to read,” said Emery, according to a news release from the rotary. The classroom teachers, Karen Lepage, Hannah White and Lori Demarest, and Courtney Staples, fourth grade, select reading material, provide guidance to the volunteers and encourage the children’s participation.

On Oct. 24, Justin Ward, co-owner of Bridgton Books, delivered the first of $2,250 in new books for the school’s library. The deep discount that Bridgton Books offers nonprofit organizations allowed Aliza Wyman, the school librarian, to get the most out of the grant budget.

The program started on Oct. 15 and will continue for the rest of the academic year. The children and the volunteers are enjoying working together and both are learning something new.

Valerie Young, Stevens Brook Elementary School principal, said, “It’s exciting to see the readers working with the students and to see all the children’s smiles. We are grateful that Rotary thought of us.”

Dr. Lisa Ryan, President of Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club, remarked, “As a pediatrician I see children every day and know that reading adds to their health and wellbeing. Our Rotary Club is so excited about this project.”

For more information contact Joanne Cohn at [email protected] or call 617-306-1956.

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