Michael Billotti, English Language Arts teacher at Hilton’s Merton Williams Middle School, has been awarded a library grant totaling $1,250 from the Book Love Foundation. “I used the grant to help build my middle grade and young adult graphic novel collection, which are among the most popular books in my classroom library,” said Billotti.
In his classroom, Billotti works tirelessly to instill a love of reading in each of his students. Through daily independent reading, shared discussions, book talks, and virtual author visits and videos, he has built a culture of literacy in his classroom. Most importantly, Billotti works to help each student feel valued, respected, and seen.
Billotti is also the founder of the Merton Williams Project LIT chapter, which connects students to a nationwide, grassroots literacy-focused network of students and educators. He is active on Instagram (@mrbillotti), engaging with middle grade and young adult authors through his freelance graphic design work.
The Book Love Foundation awarded 56 classroom library grants totaling $87,500 to teachers in the United States and Canada in 2022. Since 2012, the Book Love Foundation has raised more than $1M to provide nearly 400 teachers (from 41 states and six Canadian provinces) with grants to build classroom libraries.
The Foundation also provides teacher resources, online discussions and workshops, a summer book club for educators, and a podcast celebrating reading. Grant recipients are expected to share and support fellow educators in their professional development and growth.
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