Last Thursday, the students of Carlson Elementary School were the recipients of a little good karma.

Here’s what happened: Late last year, students in Shelby Joyce’s fifth-grade class participated in a reading fund-raiser, which ultimately donated 500 books to needy students in Louisiana.

Just a few months later, Joyce entered the Scholastic Book Club’s sweepstakes, the ClassroomsCare Program — and won 500 books for Carlson students.

Carlson was picked out of nearly 16,000 other entries. The only thing it had to do was decide where all those books should go.

Joyce said Carlson students themselves were the best choice.

“I talked to the principal (Marcia Jochim), and I said, ‘What if we give a book to every student in the school?’ “ Joyce said. “She was like, ‘That would be wonderful.’ “

Starting with the first grade, fifth-graders went from room to room presenting a book to each student.

Fifth-grader Makayla Guy presented her first-grade “reading buddy,” Ariel Meldrum, with a book.

Ariel and the other first-graders were understandably grinning from ear to ear as the books were passed out.

“It’s good to just give books to everyone — it just feels good,” said Makayla, who picked for herself the popular teen book “How I Survived Being a Girl,” by Wendelin Van Draanen.

“For some of our children, this was the first book that they’ve ever owned — so that’s really powerful,” Jochim said. “That makes (this) really special.”

Jochim said Carlson students are fortunate to have access to the local library, but checking out a book doesn’t replace the joy of owning one.

“It was very special that (Joyce) was able to do that,” Jochim said. “And the children were very excited about being the ones who could distribute the books — that’s empowering for the older children.”

It also gives weight to that old adage, “What goes around comes around.”

Contact Ian Neligh at couranteditor@evergreenco.com, and check www.clearcreekcourant.com for updates and breaking news.