Bel Air teacher wins book grant
Bel Air Elementary fourth-graders in Julie Behnke’s English and language arts class celebrate winning a grant from Scholastic Book Clubs for the purchase of classroom books. Please note, in compliance with state guidelines, students under the age of 10 are not required to wear masks, though they may choose to do so. (Toni Garrard Clay photo)
By Toni Garrard Clay/AISD Communications Coordinator
Bel Air Elementary teacher Julie Behnke and her fourth-grade students are celebrating the news that Scholastic Book Clubs is making it possible for her to purchase dozens of new classroom books.
In September, Behnke submitted an essay to compete for the Patterson Grant, named in honor of bestselling author James Patterson. Not long after, she received an email with the heading, “Something good finally happened in 2020!” and learned she is one of 5,000 educators across the country selected for the grant.
“I plan to spend it on newly published books, mostly chapter books,” said Behnke, who noted her students will help her with the selections. In fact, she said, “They’ve already started to give me titles to buy!”
Patterson has donated $2.5 million this year in partnership with Scholastic Book Clubs to be distributed to teachers throughout the country to bolster classroom libraries. Each grant provides $500 and 500 “bonus points” to be redeemed for books and classroom materials.
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