Caddo Parish school awarded James Patterson Grant

Elementary students at a Caddo Parish school will get their hands on some fresh new books this school year, thanks to a well-known author and their dedicated librarian Katie Loomis.

Caddo Heights Math/Science Elementary School in Shreveport has been awarded a $3,500 grant from best-selling author James Patterson. Scholastic Reading Club, a division of children’s publisher Scholastic, will match each grant dollar with “bonus points” that may be used to order books and materials.

It is the only school in North Louisiana to benefit from Patterson’s pledge to personally donate $1.75 million to help save school libraries across the nation and keep reading a priority.

An additional 125 schools were awarded grants in this first installment of the program, including four other Louisiana schools: Bogalusa High School in Bogalusa, Kehoe- France School in Metairie, Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy in Kenner and Prairie Elementary School in Lafayette.

According to information released by Scholastic, more than 28,000 applications were submitted, and many mentioned budget cuts and a lack of resources in the schools.

Loomis, Caddo Heights librarian and author of the winning grant request, said her budget for books is about $1,500 per year from the state. Schools also receive funds from the parish that may be spent on materials and supplies in addition to books.

“The grant will enable me to update and purchase new nonfiction books for our library. We have so many books that are aged out,” Loomis said. “We want these books to attract students’ attention. More streamlined, cleaner, brighter books will do that.”

Many of the books housed in the Caddo Heights library are also not age-appropriate for the current student population. Cathy Smith, supervisor of libraries for Caddo Parish Schools, said over half of the materials the school has are no longer usable after it transitioned from a pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade school, to a pre-kindergarten through third-grade literacy center last year. That’s because the book reading levels are too high for younger students.

Three other schools in high poverty areas underwent the same change last year to meet the literacy needs of students: Atkins Technology Elementary School, Mooretown Elementary Professional Development School and Midway Elementary Professional Development School. With a student population of more than 620 pre-kindergarten to third-grade students, Caddo Heights is the largest of these new literacy centers.

“[The grant] will go a very long way in upgrading their collection, making it more appropriate for the students they serve,” Smith said. “Children in poverty have a very low number of books in the home. And the number of new books they get to put their hands on – to have access to – is low. Brand new books in their school is huge.”

Smith stressed the importance of getting young students comfortable with reading and said they will struggle with content if they aren’t strong readers by third grade. “The most important thing a librarian can do is put the right book in the hands of the right kid,” she said. “Usually, if you can find one book that they love, that will lead to others.”

Caddo Heights Principal Eric Hill believes the colorful new books purchased with the grant funds will motivate students and enhance their love of reading. “We look forward to seeing the students’ smiling faces when they arrive [back to school] and see the new addition to our library,” he said.

Marie Louise Woodfork, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Caddo Heights, agrees and said new books give the students something they can relate to. “Up-to-date books have characters they know,” she said. “The children will be excited. It’s the newness, the shininess and the library is going to smell new.”

Students get on waiting lists to check out the most popular books. They are excited to come to the library and help unpack new books when they arrive because they know they can check them out first, Loomis said.

For Loomis, whose library bulletins boards and windows showcase brightly colored vignettes featuring the Cat in the Hat, a bookworm and bumblebees, grant funds are key – not just for the library but for the students as well. “I made sure all of my students got to go home with two books [at the end of the year],” she said. “For many of them, those are the only books they have.”

–Melissa Airhart

More on the Grant:

The rest of the James Patterson Grant funds, $1.25 million, will be awarded to schools throughout the end of this year. Any school with students in pre-kindergarten to 12th grade is eligible to apply for the grant.