Masonic-sponsored ‘Bikes for Books’ under way at PCES

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer

    GUILFORD — Piscataquis Community Elementary School is one of the newest participants in the statewide “Bikes for Books” program, thanks to the generosity of the Mount Kineo Masonic Lodge of Guilford and the Grand Lodge of Maine.
    PCES Principal Anita Wright was familiar with the program during her tenure at Regional School Unit 19 when the Corinthian Lodge of Hartland initiated the program in the Sebasticook Valley region. “It was very popular in the Hartland-St. Albans area, so I’m delighted to see the Mount Kineo Lodge get involved here,” she said.

    The “Bikes for Books” program rules are quite simple. Youngsters from grades K-6 are encouraged to read as many books as possible now through mid-April.
    Readers must also file a report about the content. “We want them to retain what they’ve read and understand the book’s meaning,” Wright explained.
    For each book they’ve read, the youngster receives a ticket. All the tickets collected go into a drum and seven boys’ and seven girls’ names — one from each grade — will be drawn on Friday, April 17. The winners will receive a bike and a helmet from the Masons.
    “So the more books they read, the more tickets they receive which increases their chances of winning,” said the principal.
    If a student winner doesn’t need or want the bicycle, they can also donate it to a classmate if they wish, she added.
    The drawing date was chosen to coincide with the upcoming April vacation and the Anah Temple Shrine clowns also plan to attend the ceremonies.
    PCES also has several “Bookworm” volunteers from Valley Grange and Foster Grandparents who are actively involved in the school’s reading program in the lower grades. “This is another great collaborative opportunity for Valley Grange. It’s a contest where everybody wins,” said Walter Boomsma, public relations chair for Valley Grange.
    During the 2013 academic year, more than 90 Masonic lodges throughout Maine presented nearly 1,500 bicycles to children participating in this reading incentive program in local schools and public libraries.