12 Putnam County Elementary students read all 20 Bluestem nominees

Twelve students from Putnam County Elementary School read all 20 of the nominated titles on the 2024 Bluestem list.

The readers are Evelyn Grasser, daughter of Brad and Danielle Grasser of Hennepin; Penelope Bird, daughter of Nathanael and Kim Bird of Hennepin; Colette Gapinski, daughter of Butch and Katy Gapinski of Granville; Austin Grasser, son of Michael and Joslyn Grasser of McNabb; Josie Heeley, daughter of Steven and Stefny Heeley of Granville; Madelyn Holst, daughter of Matthew and Janice Holst of Mark; Eden Johnson, daughter of Brian and Allison Johnson of Mark; Blake Richardson, son of Shanon Jenkins and Roger Richardson of Hennepin; Gatling Ruch, son of Roxanne Ruch of Granville; Joslyn Simpson, daughter of Chaney and Bryan Dixon of Standard; Enrique Vazquez-Barreras, son of Martina Barreras and Enrique Vazquez-Morales of Mark; and Jaxon Zuniga, son of Robert and Julie Zuniga of Granville.

Most of the students like to read. Penelope Bird said she loves to read “because it transports me to different worlds.” The students, however, did not agree on their favorite Bluestem nominee. In fact, there were three favorites in the voting celebration in March: “Allergic” by Megan Wagner Lloyd; “Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom” by Matthew Swanson; and “Chunky” by Yehudi Mercado.

The students have various interests including band, art, softball/baseball and other sports, and, of course, reading. Evelyn Grasser enjoys soccer, theater and basketball. Josie Heeley is involved with 4-H. Madelyn Holst and Enrique Vazquez-Morales are looking forward to joining band next year. Gatling Ruch is looking forward to reading more good books. Penelope Bird’s sport of choice is softball while Eden Johnson is involved in soccer, basketball, softball and swimming. Joslyn Simpson also enjoys softball as well as reading; her goal is to read 100 or more books next year. Blake Richardson plays baseball and soccer. Colette Gapinski is involved with softball and basketball and she “loves reading.” Jaxon Zuniga and Austin Grasser plan to be in the Bluestem reading program next year. All of the students hope to participate in the reading program next year.

Lori Mertel, the media paraprofessional, leads the Bluestem program at the elementary school. The Bluestem Book Award Program is sponsored by the Association of Illinois School Library Educators. This is the 12th year the program has been at PCES. Students who read at least four of the 20 books on the list were eligible to vote for their favorite book. Students also had to pass a quiz and complete a worksheet on the book. A voting celebration was held on March 8. Students had until April 26 to read all 20.

Each student who read all the books received a medal and a certificate at the end-of-school assembly. Their names have been added to the plaque in the PCES Media Center.