The Grantham Academy Library Media Center has a ceiling that is displaying not only the students ability to read well, but also their ability to turn learning into an act of kindness.
The Reading Department at Grantham has a program called Reading Counts.
This is a program that tests a students ability to understand and remember what they have read.
The program incorporates reading books with reading skills and allows them to take a test on the computer for a portion of their reading grade.
The teachers and students at Grantham have found a way to increase their reading grade while helping others.
For each book read and test passed this year, the teacher gives the student a red, white, or blue loop on which to write their name and the title of the book. Additionally they receive a red card entitled Reading Counts towards American Aid.
The student then shows the card to one of the teachers or other adults in the building and receives a donation of $.05 which is given in the students name to the American Red Cross to help support the September 11 relief effort.
The loops are sent every two weeks to the Grantham Library Media Center and the librarian for display on the ceiling. The students have read so many books this year that over half the ceiling is now covered with red, white and blue loops. It makes quite a spectacular display while providing the students with a way to raise their grades and provide money for a very worthy American cause.