Reading time became a commodity at local Catholic schools recently.

Third-grade and sixth-grade students at Cathedral School, along with third-grade students at St. Anne and St. Mary School, traded time spent reading for folders, notebooks, protractors and other items to fill backpacks. All the items were donated by local businesses.

"I have a ruler, notebooks, paper, folders, pipe cleaners, markers, a calculator and glue stick," St. Mary's third-grader Anthony Vecchia said.

Some of the backpacks are bound for the St. Bernard's Mission in Fort Yates. They will be taken there by seniors from St. Mary's Central High School.

The items in the backpacks varied. Cathedral third-grader Amalia Thomas had the paper and folders, plus a picture frame, hair accessories and gloves. For a math tool kit, she read about an hour. For some of the smaller items, students could trade fewer minutes reading, while the larger items required more minutes of reading, Amalia said.

Students read books of their choosing. Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" was a favorite. The older students read with the younger students at Cathedral School. The younger students read books like "Eagle Song."

"I would stuff my backpack with books," Amalia said.

The students read 848 hours to stuff 65 backpacks. The backpacks also will be donated to the Children's Advocacy Center.

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@;bismarcktribune.com.)