SACO — Saco Middle School teacher Noelle Gallant was awarded a $2,000 grant from the BookLove foundation to restock her classroom library.

Since 2013, the BookLove foundation, headquartered in North Conway, New Hampshire, has given $365,000 in grants to teachers in the United States and Canada. This year, the foundation granted 60 classroom library grants totaling $120,000.

Gallant is an eighth-grade English language arts teacher with 10 years teaching experience. She is a participant in the Maine State Library children book review and committee and has implemented many creative projects to inspire a love of reading to her students.

Last year, Gallant raised money through an online fundraiser to purchase a book for each of her students, and she plans to do it again this year.

She also received a donation for comfortable reading chairs and provides reading time at school.

“Her application was the most imaginative and lively one we received to read this year. She included video clips, photographs, quotes, screenshots — so many artifacts from her teaching story that we felt we really got a glimpse into who she is as a person and teacher,” stated a press release from Book Love Foundation.
The press release stated that Gallant is doing “everything she can” to excite her students about reading.

“My instruction depends on a robust classroom library to support independent and self-selected reading. Our reading workshop relies on students choosing books they’ll love for deep study of the text,” wrote Gallant in her application.

Gallant said her current classroom library has about 600 books. She said 55 percent of them are old, uncirculated, low interest and ready to be donated. She said 25 percent of the books are acceptable and read on occasion, 10 percent are hot titles in good condition and read often and 10 percent are hot titles in poor condition that need replacing.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.