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"Inspiring and building futures, one student at a time."

The above school motto perfectly describes our most recent sponsored school. Located an hour northwest of Detroit, White Lake Middle School is home to over 700 5th-8th graders. BookPal has worked with White Lake Middle School for over three years to provide about 1500 titles for their students, including Daniel's Story, The Giver, Soul Surfer, and Nothing but the Truth.

Gretchen Caldwell, Media Technician at White Lake Middle School, has seen firsthand the impact books have on the students. "[These] books have united students through large groups reading the same book." Promoting larger groups of students reading together not only helps individual students with their own reading development, but it also creates a fun community of book-lovers.

Gretchen has also seen an increase in reading comprehension and vocabulary: "I had a 7th-grade student who was a reluctant reader. Through working with him to find his interest level I got him hooked on reading! His teachers came to me and said, 'I don't know what you did, but [he] is always reading now'. When I asked if it was interfering with his work, they told me just the opposite — he no longer has missing assignments and his grades have improved! His reading time became a reward and helped him understand and focus in his other classes."

It comes as no surprise that White Lake Middle School and the surrounding district have seen an increase in literacy scores. Through continued support from dedicated educators like Gretchen, students are discovering a love for reading.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Gretchen! We love hearing about how books have impacted your school, students, faculty, and staff at White Lake Middle School.