By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Thanks to the Bikes for Books program through the Caribou Masonic Lodge, 32 students from Caribou, New Sweden and Woodland schools will begin their summer vacations with brand new bikes, helmets and maybe even the motivation to crack open an extracurricular book or two.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
The Stainless Food Services Equipment Manufacturing site looked like Santa’s Workshop on May 23, when members of the Caribou Masonic Lodge gathered to assemble 32 bikes that were given to kids during four separate raffles between May 25-31. Shown from left assembling the bikes were Wendell Spooner, David Spooner, Matt Haines, Joe Cheney, Gregory Anderson and Jerry Drake. Other Masons working diligently off camera to assemble bikes were Dwayne Walton, Paul Hermon, John Deveau and Ralph Conroy.
Many Masonic Lodges state- and nationwide participate in the Bikes for Books program annually, which rewards students with bikes for their dedication to reading; this was the first year that the Caribou Masonic Lodge participated in the Bikes for Books program and Grand Master of the Caribou Masonic Lodge David Spooner explained why the lodge decided to get involved.
“We did it for the kids,” he explained. “Bikes for Books is a program sponsored by the Grand Lodge of Maine and open to all lodges to participate in. We had seen other lodges, like the Limestone Lodge, successfully do this in their towns and we thought it was a worthy project to take on.”
Just how worthy the Bikes for Books project is became apparent to Spooner well before the program even had a chance to conclude: back when the program first started in early April, a letter was sent home with participating students to explain to their parents and guardians as to why and how a student could win a bike for reading books. Included in that letter was Spooner’s contact information, should anyone have questions or concerns.
Shortly later, Spooner’s phone rang.
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet Though 10 Caribou Masons had 32 bikes to assemble in one evening, they brought a ringer; Caribou Mason of the Year Ralph Conroy worked at the old Sam’s Sports and Ski Shop back when he was in high school, and had lots of practice putting the bikes together. Conroy is shown above at left assembling the gears on a bike with fellow Mason John Deveau assisting. |
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| Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet During his sprint toward the front of the gym to collect his new bike, Jacob Estabrook, right, winds up for a bike-winning high five with Jack Doody. |
It was a parent, and they wanted to talk about Bikes for Books.
Not certain what to expect, Spooner listened as the mother on the other end of the line described her amazement.
Turns out that her son, an elementary student, had just turned off the television to go read a book; she was calling Spooner to thank him.
“After the parent told me what had happened I was relieved and left a bit speechless because I had not contemplated the full effect of the program,” Spooner described. “I did not realize that the kids would respond so favorably to this incentive we were giving them to read. It was a very good feeling, a feeling of pride,” he added.
What helped make the program effective was the stipulation that the books students read had to be outside of their regular curriculum as well as teacher-approved for each student’s appropriate reading level.
For each book a student read, they were awarded a raffle ticket. Eight bikes were raffled off at each school at the program’s end, meaning the more a student read, the more entries they’d have to win a bike.
Caribou, New Sweden and Woodland elementary school students read hundreds of books in the hopes of winning a bike, and that enthusiasm was enough to convince Spooner that Caribou’s first ever Bikes for Books program was an official success.
“Our children read hundreds and hundreds of books, expanding their minds and improving their reading skills,” he said, describing how 32 children now have new bikes to ride this summer helping them to get out and exercise and the Masons get the satisfaction of knowing they accomplished something good in the community.
“The success of the program was most evident in the smiles and cheers that all of the children had when their classmates won a bike,” Spooner added.
Of course the enthusiasm of students who won bikes is personified by what bike winner Janice Tracy of Teague Park said to her principal, Tanya Belanger, minutes after winning a brand new bike.
In quintessential over-excited speech, Tracy said “This-is-the-first-time-I-ever-won-anything-at-school; This-is-the-best-thing-ever!”
“It wasn’t only the winners of the bikes who were excited,” Spooner said. “All of the kids were happy. In four schools I did not see a single sore loser and that was awesome.”
“We have some great kids, and we should be proud of them,” he added.
Speaking of kids to be proud of, Woodland third-grader Madison Zeigler read 41 books for the Bikes for Books program. Zeigler was one of 32 students of the greater Caribou area who won a bike.
A mini-lesson in statistics, New Sweden student Andrew Moomey also won a bike in his school’s raffle, but he only read one book.
“Because I only read one book, I was surprised that I won a bike,” Moomey said.
Though reading isn’t his favorite thing, Moomey said that knowing he could win a bike did help him get through the chapter book he’d picked out, titled “The Secret of Cacklefur Castle,” by Geronimo Stilton.
“It took me a while to read it, but at least I got a bike!” Moomey said.
While winning a bike provided Moomey with incentive to read, he also understands the benefits of reading often.
“It’s important to read a lot because once you start to read more, you actually get better at it and you probably can start writing books, too,” he explained.
New Sweden Student Angela Butterfield thinks that the best time to read is every day.
A winner of her school’s Bikes for Books raffle, Butterfield’s favorite book of the 13 she read was “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White.
“I liked how the pig got to go to the fair,” she explained.
Before Butterfield could win a bike by reading how Wilbur got to the fair, the Caribou Masons had a long road ahead of them to purchase the 32 bikes.
Spooner largely credits the generosity of local businesses for getting the wheels spinning on the project.
“We kind of took a leap of faith, trusting that the businesses of the greater Caribou area would come through and support us in this effort; we were not disappointed at all,” Spooner said.
While there were many businesses and individuals Spooner mentioned who contributed to the program’s success, the sentiment was best expressed by the “Charlotte’s Web” reading Butterfield:
“Thank you to all the people who gave me my bike.”
Contributed photo by Laurie Sheehan
Students of the Woodland Consolidated School who won bikes were, from left, Josh Ostlund, Alexis Parker, Gabrielle Sutherland, Daniel Arce, Madison Zeigler, Rylan Masse, Saffayia Durepo and Connor Dodd. Pictured in back are David Spooner, Master of the Caribou Masonic Lodge, and fellow Caribou Mason Duane Walton.
