Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 SALT tournament. Well done!
2024 Tournament Winners
3rd & 4th Grade Champions
Salem Academy, SA Salties (Avalon, Ruby Rose, Sigrid, Jason, Nelson, Coach Karie Hutchings)
5th & 6th Grade Champions
Santiam Christian, THEE Reading Rockstars (Lydia, Heidi, Emma, Andrew, Coach Geron Haan)
Duman Award Winner: Haddie Jones
Congratulations to our 2024 Duman Award winner, Haddie Jones from Santiam Christian!
One of our SALT tournament traditions is presenting a student with what we call “The Duman Award.” The Duman Award is named after one of our original SALT staff members, who was known for her kindness. Trisha Duman loved being part of SALT, and her passing left us with a forever hole in our hearts. This is an award we give to honor her memory. We ask for the coaches from each school to nominate one student who shines their light brightly for Jesus by always showing kindness, encouragement, and good leadership skills. This year’s Duman Award winner, Haddie Jones, stood out among the nominees. This is what Haddie’s coaches had to say…
“Haddie personifies joy and is frequently among the first to help and mentor other classmates. She does a great job of making everyone feel included. When a classmate was away from school for a prolonged time because of an injury, Haddie found out that the injured student had been reading SALT books in hopes of being on a SALT team. Haddie welcomed her with open arms and encouragement, and even advocated for virtual meetings with the injured student so that she could be part of the team. Haddie has a servant’s heart and loves others with her words and actions.”
The Holy Bible: Book of Ruth
AUTHOR: Samuel
GENRE: Religious Text
SUMMARY: The setting for the Book of Ruth begins in the heathen country of Moab, a region northeast of the Dead Sea, but then moves to Bethlehem. This true account takes place during the dismal days of failure and rebellion of the Israelites, called the period of the Judges. A famine forces Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, from their Israelite home to the country of Moab. Elimelech dies and Naomi is left with her two sons, who soon marry two Moabite girls, Orpah and Ruth. Later both of the sons die, and Naomi is left alone with Orpah and Ruth in a strange land. Orpah returns to her parents, but Ruth determines to stay with Naomi as they journey to Bethlehem. This story of love and devotion tells of Ruth’s eventual marriage to a wealthy man named Boaz, by whom she bears a son, Obed, who becomes the grandfather of David and the ancestor of Jesus. Obedience brings Ruth into the privileged lineage of Christ.
Tales from the Odyssey: Part 1
AUTHOR: Mary Pope Osborn
GENRE: Mythology, Fantasy, Fiction
SUMMARY: Brave Odysseus is far from home, tossed by stormy seas, and cursed by an angry one-eyed giant. If he ever wants to see his family again, he will have to face hungry cannibals, outwit a beautiful witch, and sail past a six-headed serpent. His journey is the ultimate test of endurance and courage.
When Mischief Came to Town
AUTHOR: Katrina Nannestad
GENRE: Historical Fiction
SUMMARY: In the tradition of ANNE OF GREEN GABLES and PIPPI LONGSTOCKING comes a heart-warming novel about love, family, grief, joy and the power of laughter and imagination.
When Inge Maria arrives on the tiny island of Bornholm in Denmark to live with her grandmother, she’s not sure what to expect. Her grandmother is stern, the people on the island are strange, and children are supposed to be seen and not heard. But no matter how hard Inge tries to be good, mischief has a way of finding her. Could it be that a bit of mischief is exactly what Grandmother and the people of Bornholm need?
Hook’s Revenge: The Pirate Code
AUTHOR: Heidi Schulz
GENRE: Fantasy Fiction
SUMMARY: Fresh off a fearsome encounter with the Neverland crocodile, Jocelyn Hook decides the most practical plan is to hunt down her father’s famous fortune. After all, she’ll need the gold to fund her adventuring in the future. (And luckily, Hook left her the map.) But the map proves to be a bit harder to crack than Jocelyn had hoped, and she’s convinced that the horrible Peter Pan might be the only one with the answers. Of course, he doesn’t really feel like helping her, so Jocelyn takes the only reasonable course of action left to her: she kidnaps his mother. Evie, though, is absolutely thrilled to be taken prisoner, so Jocelyn’s daring ploy doesn’t have quite the effect she’d planned for. Along with the problem of her all-too-willing captive, Jocelyn must also contend with Captain Krueger, whose general policy is that no deed is too dastardly when it comes to stealing Hook’s treasure. And with the ever-shifting Whens of the Neverland working against her as well, Jocelyn, Evie, Roger, and the rest of the Hook’s Revenge crew have their work cut out for them. In this rambunctious showdown between characters new and old, Jocelyn puts her own brand of pirating to the test in a quest to save her future and those she loves.
Number the Stars
AUTHOR: Lois Lowry
GENRE: Historical Fiction
SUMMARY: As the German troops begin their campaign to “relocate” all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family. Through the eyes of ten-year-old Annemarie, we watch as the Danish Resistance smuggles almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark, nearly seven thousand people, across the sea to Sweden. The heroism of an entire nation reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war.
Rules
AUTHOR: Cynthia Lord
GENRE: Fiction
SUMMARY: Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She’s spent years trying to teach David the rules — from a peach is not a funny-looking apple to keep your pants on in public — in order to stop his embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a paraplegic boy, and Kristi, the next-door friend she’s always wished for, it’s her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?