Craig Bruno (right), Branch Manager of the KDL Sand Lake/Nelson Township Library, with Cedar Trails student Aiden Contreras, 7, one of the prize winners from the first grade library card drive. Courtesy photo.

March is reading month! The Cedar Springs Public Library and KDL’s Spencer Township and Sand Lake Branches kicked off the month with a showing of the movie, Paddington, based on the books by Michael Bond. All first graders from Cedar Trails, Creative Technologies Academy and Algoma Christian Academy were invited to get a library card before March as a part of the 15th Annual First Grade Library Card Roundup, a collaborative partnership between the Cedar Springs Public Library and Kent District Library. The program was actually started by library board member, Michael Metzger, in 2000, after getting the idea from an inspiring magazine article.

In all 216 first graders and family members turned out for the evening events. All the first grade students got to view the movie for free, and any first grade student, who showed his/her library card, received a free bag of popcorn. Several books, posters and gift certificates were handed out as raffle prizes to the newest library patrons, thanks to donations by the libraries and local, children’s author, Amanda Litz. Kindergarteners can look forward to their invitation to this very special event next year!

Four happy first graders show off their library cards at the Kent Theatre.

In what’s become an annual event, first graders at Cedar Trails Elementary and Creative Technologies academy were invited to celebrate “March is Reading Month” by getting their library cards. This is the 15th year of the event.

Cedar Springs Public Library Director Donna Clark visited Creative Technologies Academy to hand out envelopes with special invitations to 20 first graders and families of Mrs. Presler’s class to get a new library card. Shannon Vanderhyde, Children’s Parapro for the Cedar Springs Public Library and Sara Magnuson, Children’s Parapro for Sand Lake/Nelson Township Library and Kent District Library presented the special invitation letters to the 11 classes at Cedar Trails on February 22, which included about 270 students.

All students who registered for or already had a library card were invited to see a special showing at the Kent Theatre of “The Adventures of Tin Tin” on Monday and Tuesday this week. About 212 first-graders and family members attended the event.

Cedar Springs children’s author Amanda Litz was on hand to raffle off three books each evening from her “Sam and Pam can and you can, too” series.

Mrs. Presler’s class at Creative Technologies Academy were happy to be invited to get their library cards.

Clark said they are appreciative of their partnership with the Kent Theatre in this endeavor. “It’s really great to have a theatre in your own hometown,” she said.

Clark also paid tribute to Cedar Springs resident Mike Metzger, who started the annual drive. “The library card drive began all those years ago because Mike Metzger had a dream and a passion to see that every child in the first grade had a better chance of becoming a proficient reader early on. It was his idea to start a Library Card Drive through the Library, and he is as passionate today as he was then,” she said.

Mrs. Sendler’s class at Cedar Trails were also happy to be invited to get their library cards.

First-graders received their library cards this week. Pictured left to right is Shannon Vanderhyde, children’s programmer at Cedar Springs Public Library, Katie L the elephant (Rosann Gerhardt from CSPL), and Sara Magnuson, the children’s parapro at KDL’s Sand Lake/Nelson Township Library.

There are officially 188 new readers (and library patrons) in Cedar Springs. That’s how many first-graders got their library cards last week in the 14th annual library card drive.

Shannon Vanderhyde, in charge of children’s programming for the Cedar Springs Public Library, took the lead this year in managing the program—handing out the registration cards, collecting and processing them, and distributing the new cards with Kent District Library’s Children’s Parapro, Sara Magnuson, from the Sand Lake/Nelson Township Library.

“I enjoy every opportunity I get to collaborate with the schools and other community partners,” said Shannon, who is also a member of the Cedar Springs Board of Education.

To celebrate, the children were treated to the movie Yogi Bear, at the Kent Theatre, on Monday and Tuesday. Don and June Mabie sponsored the movie, and their donation covered the $3 cost per first-grader and teacher to get in free. Independent Bank of Cedar Springs sponsored the pop and popcorn for every first grader who either had a library card or got a brand new card.

“The Kent Theater had their first string working ticket sales and concessions and did an outstanding job of getting people out of the lobby and into the auditorium,” said Donna Clark, Director at CSPL. “This year we had no families standing outside in the cold waiting to get inside and there were no bottle-necks at the concessions.  It was exciting to see whole families joining in the fun!”