Gastonia, N.C. – The Gaston County Board of Education recognized six schools that received a $10,000 grant from the State Library of North Carolina.  The grant proposals were written by the media specialist at each school with input from the media and technology advisory committee, staff and students. 

The winning schools and the media specialists and principals are:

• Belmont Middle School – Linda Cathcart, media specialist, Mark Schultz, principal, and Jamie Wallace, assistant principal. 
• Holbrook Middle – Martha Morgan, media specialist, and Chad Carper, principal. 
• Gardner Park Elementary – Kathy D’Aurelio, media specialist, and Shay Matthews, principal. 
• Kiser Elementary – Catherine MacKenzie, media specialist, and Mark Fisher, principal. 
• Robinson Elementary – Ilisa Jenkins, media specialist, and Bill Kessler, principal. 
• Woodhill Elementary – Edie Cook, current media specialist, and Anna Taylor, former media specialist, and Cindy Hester, principal.

The schools will use the federal money made available through the Library Services and Technology Act to purchase books for students and teachers.  The high-quality materials are clearly tied to the N.C. Standard Course of Study and are age and grade appropriate.

“These grant funds assist schools in developing stronger book collections that support reading, reading readiness and student achievement,” said Superintendent L. Reeves McGlohon. “We commend these outstanding media specialists who worked diligently on the proposals that landed the $10,000 grants for their school libraries.”