At  this year’s MASA Distinguished Administrators’ Luncheon, 10  new MASA members were inducted into the Winners’ Circle. These members were honored by the Membership Services Committee for initiating a unique, successful program or implementing an innovative idea that has had a significant, positive impact on their school districts that can be used by other districts across the state.

Wild for Books program
Nick Ceglarek, Fruitport Community Schools
with Julie VanBergen and Darcy Ceglarek

“Wild for Books” is not your typical mobile library. Through the passion and innovation of one elementary principal and one dedicated parent leader working to address “summer reading loss,” this reading machine was launched.  The goal was not only to get books into student hands in the summer time, but also to track visitors, readership, and achievement. “Wild for Books” mobile library has been awarded the regional Western Dunes Reading Council’s “Celebrate Literacy Award” for 2008.  The impact to the great community of Fruitport has been tremendous.

Using spring and fall fluency data, the “Wild for Books” program proved statistically significant in reducing “summer reading loss”  Through parent and teacher volunteers, and community donations of over $10,000, the bus continues to have a tremendous positive impact with the greater community of Fruitport. Visitors to the bus have approximately doubled in a one year period reaching over 1/3 of the district elementary population. Unlike other mobile libraries, the “Wild for Books” program, tracks readership, visitors, and achievement data to evaluate program effectiveness. The “Wild for Books” reading bus rolls on in its quest to improve student achievement.

MASA accepts nominations for the Winners’ Circle year round. You can find more details on previous winners online.