Thirty students at Boothbay Region Elementary School earned brand new bikes for reading books this school year.

For the past three years, the Bay View Masonic Lodge, Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation, and Crescent Chapter of Eastern Star have joined forces for Bikes for Books, a program to encourage students in all local schools to read.

The program runs from November to late February, and the students have to fill out reports about the books they read, including title, author, setting, characters and their favorite part.

In total this year, 55 bikes were given away to students in the Edgecomb, Southport and Boothbay public schools. Over the whole state, over 1,500 bikes have been given away by the Freemasons.

According to BRES Librarian Esme McTighe, who runs the program at BRES, the program gives students something to reach for, and also, since it's open only to those in grades 3 and up, it gives first and second graders something to look forward to achieving.

“We can encourage students who enjoy reading to broaden their horizons, and those that don't (read) to give it a try,” McTighe said. “Cameron (Holbrook) read a whole series of books, and Grace (Campbell) read a bunch of the Harry Potter books.”

In total, 45 students read over 250 books, or 43,000 pages. At the end of the program, names of readers are drawn at random until the program runs out of bikes. This year they had 30 to give away.

The top reader this year was the same as last year: fifth grader Madelyn Teele. Instead of a book, she got a gift certificate to Sherman's Book & Stationary Store.

“She can spend it on whatever she wants,” McTighe said. “But if I know (Madelyn), she'll be buying books.”

Other winners included nine third graders: Sebastian Warren-Burdin, Jorja Field, CJ Savastano, Dylan North, Colby Allen, Avery Barter, Slade Balsdon, Madison Peters and Veda Harriman. Fourth graders included Gryffin Kristan, Dylan Plummer, Jackson Lorrain, Jonathan Rines, Mara Gentry, Marlowe Recoin-Tallen, Grace Campbell, Sydney Blake and Andrew Meader. Fifth graders were Falyn Harriman, Madelyn Teele, Jazmine Balducci and Matthew Sullivan. Sixth graders were Cameron Holbrook, Haley Abbot, Courtney Leckie-Usinger, Marissa Peters, Maren Whitney, Issac Smith, Courtney Meader and Brianna Crowell.

Courtney Meader, while earning a bike for herself, decided to donate it instead. Cameron Holbrook, who already had a very cool bike, got special LED lights and a horn on his bike instead of a new one.

“I'm very proud of these students,” McTighe said.

“The goals of the Masonic Bikes for Books program are threefold,” Freemason Tom Pulkinnen said. “First, we hope to increase student reading and comprehension skills. Second, the program allows students to set and achieve attainable reading goals with life enhancing results. And finally, awarding new Huffy bikes to readers is a way to recognize positive achievements.”

Pulkinnen also said that, “the excitement of children receiving their first bike, or first new bike, is a pleasure to behold for Lodge members and school teachers and administrators. Their fist-pumps, their high-fives, their wide smiles and gleaming eyes upon having their names called for earning a new bike, are animated statements of their accomplishment and appreciation.”

Supporters include the Boothbay Center Cafe (now closed), Bruce MacDonald, Carousel Music Theater, Dead River, Dolphin Mini Golf, E.M. Wood, Hannaford, Hodgdon Shipbuilding, J. Edward Knight & Co., Janson's Clothing Store, Marden Builders, Midcoast Credit Union, Mill Cove Lobster Pound, N.A. Reny Construction, Orne's Candy Store, Robinson's Wharf, Seagate Motel, Shore Hills Campground, Hall Funeral Home, The First N.A., Tindal and Callahan, and Washburn Doughty.

Bay View Masonic Lodge and the Crescent Chapter have announced that they will be sponsoring the Bikes for Books Program again next school year.