Maplesville students could soon have some new books to read.

Teacher Jacqueline Sullivan’s Project TWIRL was selected to receive one of Central Alabama Electric Cooperative’s Bright Ideas grants, in the amount of $400.

TWIRL stands for “Together We Inspire Literacy.”

Sullivan said the program would include seventh and eighth graders forming book clubs of about five students and reading books focused on people around their age dealing with problems they might face in their own lives.

“I’ve been trying to get them to become more interested in reading,” Sullivan said.

The students will discuss the books in their clubs and also make presentations to their classes about the novels.

Sullivan said discussion groups help readers make connections with the material they’ve read.

“We try to instill in the students that you have to have good reading skills to communicate in the world,” Sullivan said. “Usually, if they read about another child their age who is having the same problem, seeing how they handled it, it helps with their situation.”

The grant will allow Sullivan to purchase books for the program.

She said a schools reading standard is introducing students to different cultures, so the books purchased will include black and Hispanic protagonists, among other cultures.

Sullivan said the books would be selected based on recommendations from book companies as well as other reviews. The books will also be used for years to come.

For this school year, the program will include 58 students, all from Sullivan’s seventh and eighth grade reading classes.

Students are already encouraged to read on their own and given time during class once or twice a week to read.

Sullivan said she would like to begin the program at the end of February or beginning of March.

The grant money was presented during a reception Jan. 15 at CAEC headquarters in Prattville.

Grant proposals had been evaluated by a panel of judges from local community associations.

The Bright Ideas Grant Program was introduced by CAEC in 1998 with the goal of supporting innovative, interesting and effective initiatives that are not usually covered by school funding, according to a press release. Grants are intended to help enhance teachers’ efforts, and are awarded to individuals or teams in public, private and home schools within CAEC’s service area.

“Perhaps nothing has as much of an impact on our children than what they learn in the classroom,” CAEC President and CEO Tom Stackhouse said. “We are honored to be able to provide assistance to our educators who work tirelessly to impact our future leaders by giving them the tools they need to be successful.”

The 15 selected grant recipients were recognized at the banquet. Teachers, students and area schools were awarded $16,000 in grants to benefit more than 3,700 students.

To date, CAEC has awarded approximately $256,000 to local schools through the program. More than 100,000 students in all grade levels and subject areas have benefited from the Bright Ideas grants.