A.R. Auction rewards students for reading

CHARLESTON -- On May 20, students at Charleston Middle School attended a special end-of-the-year auction.

The A.R. Auction rewarded students for earning A.R. (Accelerated Reader) points by reading books and taking tests. Each students' cumulative points for the year were used to bid in the auction.

Items up for bid in the live auction included bicycles, desktop computers, autographed trading cards, arcade games, and grab bags. Following the live auction, a silent auction allowed students to bid on hundreds of items, including backpacks, food items, T-shirts, games and CMS teacher Susan Collier's cupcakes.

Shelley Helmes, sixth grade teacher, was the auctioneer for the event, while other faculty members worked the auction floor.

During the event, CMS librarian Michelle Anthuis recognized the top five A.R. point-earners for the entire school. These students received an Amazon books shopping spree worth up to $75. CMS seventh grade student Cassidy Shands earned first place with 542.1 points.

Anthuis said the A.R. Auction is a great motivator for every student to read more.

"The school would like to thank faculty and community members for donating new and used items for the auction, as well as Helmes, Anthuis and others who worked hard to organize and operate the event," said parent liaison B.J. Babb.