The Reader’s Guide, a new and used bookstore in West Salem, stocks several SALT titles for purchase. Reader’s Guide is located at 735 Edgewater Street NW. Please support this wonderful community resource. You can find more information on their Facebook page here.
We’re excited to announce that the 2025 Salem Area Literature Tournament will be held at Salem Academy on Friday, April 11, 2025. Get details about the SALT tournament here. Remember to check the SALT website throughout the year for other important announcements and resource updates.
We’re happy to announce the official SALT reading list for the 2024-2025 school year. Brief book details can be found here on the website. The 3rd-4th Grade Division will read 12 books and the 5th-6th Grade Division will read 16 books. Please see each division’s complete list below:
3RD-4TH GRADE DIVISION:
5TH-6TH GRADE DIVISION:
Salem Academy hosted the all-school SALT tournament was on April 13, 2024. Students from Santiam Christian, Willamette Valley Christian, Western Christian, Our Savior’s Christian, and Salem Academy arrived to compete for the 3rd-4th and 5th-6th grade division titles. The students competed in an amazing way, giving it their all. Congratulations to all of the participants for another fantastic year filled with exciting skirmishes and memories.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 SALT tournament. Well done!
Salem Academy, SA Salties (Avalon, Ruby Rose, Sigrid, Jason, Nelson, Coach Karie Hutchings)
Santiam Christian, THEE Reading Rockstars (Lydia, Heidi, Emma, Andrew, Coach Geron Haan)
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…
Season seven of SALT is getting a head start. Here are the first 8 books on our 2024-2025 reading list that all divisions will read:
You can find details about the first 8 books here on the website. Watch for the remaining books to be announced this Fall.
We’re pleased to announce the official reading list for 2023-2024. Brief details for each of the 20 books for this sixth season of SALT can be found here on the website. The 3rd-4th Grade Division will read 12 books and the 5th-6th Grade Division will read 16 books. Please see each division’s complete list below:
3RD-4TH GRADE DIVISION
5TH-6TH GRADE DIVISION
Our sixth season of SALT is just around the corner. Here are the first 8 books on our 2023-2024 reading list:
3RD-4TH & 5TH-6TH GRADE DIVISIONS
5TH-6TH GRADE DIVISION
These first 8 books are listed with details here on the website. Watch for the remaining books to be announced this Fall. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
SALT’s junior high tournament was hosted by Salem Academy on May 13, 2023. Students from Santiam Christian, Willamette Valley Christian, and Salem Academy came together to compete for the 7th-8th grade division crown. The students put forth their best efforts for a fantastic competition. Congratulations to all of the participants for a wonderful year of spirited skirmishes and memories made.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 SALT junior high tournament. Well done!
Salem Academy, Keeper of the Lost Books (Ryan, Jordan, Kennedy)
Salem Academy hosted the SALT elementary tournament on May 5, 2023. Students from Western Christian, Santiam Christian, Willamette Valley Christian, and Salem Academy came together for a day of competition and team camaraderie. Every student, from 3rd to 6th grade, put forth their best efforts for a fun and memorable competition.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 SALT elementary tournament. Well done!
Santiam Christian, THEE Reading Rockstars (Emma, Andrew, Heidi, Lydia)
Salem Academy, Team Gary (Cooper, Piper, Ava, Alexis)
Congratulations to our 2023 Duman Award winner, Gracie from Willamette Valley Christian School!
Each year we ask SALT coaches from participating schools to nominate one student they feel is a behind-the-scenes hero and shows extraordinary kindness to their teammates. This year’s Duman Award winner stood out among the nominees. Here is what Gracie’s coach had to say about her…
The Duman Award was established as a way to honor our beloved teacher Trisha Duman who passed away in 2018. Trisha was a huge supporter of SALT and served on our board. She was definitely one of the behind-the-scenes heroes for us as we were getting the program up and running. Trisha had many amazing characteristics, but she was best known for her kindness.
Practice skirmish questions have been posted! Coaches can find the practice questions on our Resources page. Viewing, downloading, and printing these PDFs requires your access password. Please remember that password access and practice questions are for COACH USE ONLY. If you have forgotten your access password, please email Jeneé Orso and it will be sent to you as soon as possible. The all-school tournament on Friday, May 5, 2023, is almost here. Keep practicing!
We are excited to announce the official reading list for 2022-2023. Brief details for each of the 20 books can be found here on the website. 3rd-4th Grade Division will read 12 of the books, 5th-6th will read 16, and 7th-8th will read 8 books. Please see each division’s complete list below:
3RD-4TH GRADE DIVISION
5TH-6TH GRADE DIVISION
7TH-8TH GRADE DIVISION
Our fifth season of SALT is quickly approaching. Here are the first 10 books on our 2022-2023 reading list:
7TH-8TH GRADE DIVISION
3RD-4TH & 5TH-6TH GRADE DIVISIONS
These first 10 books are listed with details here on the website. Watch for the remaining books to be announced in October. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Congratulations to our 2022 Duman Award winner, Annabelle Bradley from Western Christian School!
Each year we ask SALT coaches from participating schools to nominate one student they feel is a behind-the-scenes hero and shows extraordinary kindness to their teammates. This year’s Duman Award winner stood out among the nominees. Here is what Annabelle’s coach had to say about her…
The Duman Award was established as a way to honor our beloved teacher Trisha Duman who passed away in 2018. Trisha was a huge supporter of SALT and served on our board. She was definitely one of the behind-the-scenes heroes for us as we were getting the program up and running. Trisha had many amazing characteristics, but she was best known for her kindness.
Congratulations to all the winners of the 2022 SALT tournament!
Salem Academy Mermaids (Angelo, Lyllian, Mrs. Vaubel, and Shane — Piper not pictured)
Salem Academy Fantastic 4 (Noah, Cooper, Isabella, and Kennedy)
Salem Academy Saltines (Carter, Stella, Emily, Kaely, and Madi)
We have added Chasing Lincoln’s Killer as the last book for the 7th-8th Grade division. It is a fast-paced non-fiction thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth: a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia. Please see the updated 7th-8th Grade division list below:
7TH-8TH GRADE DIVISION
Due to supply issues, it has come to our attention that one of our selected books for Junior High is no longer available to purchase. We have replaced The Winter Letter with The Letter for the King instead. We apologize for this last-minute change. Please see the updated 7th-8th Grade division list below:
7TH-8TH GRADE DIVISION
¹(UPDATED 10/19/2021) Chasing Lincoln’s Killer has been added as the final book for the 7th-8th Grade division.
We are excited to announce the official reading list of 20 books² for 2021-2022. Brief details for each book can be found here on the website. 3rd-4th Grade Division will read 12 of the books, 5th-6th will read 16, and 7th-8th will read 8 books. Please see each division’s complete list below:
7TH-8TH GRADE DIVISION
5TH-6TH GRADE DIVISION
3RD-4TH GRADE DIVISION
¹(UPDATED 10/4/2021) The Letter for the King has replaced The Winter Letter due to the current unavailability to purchase. We apologize for this last-minute change.
²(UPDATED 10/19/2021) Chasing Lincoln’s Killer has been added as the final book for the 7th-8th Grade Division.
Our fourth season of SALT is about to begin. Here are the first eight books on our 2021-2022 reading list:
7TH-8TH GRADE DIVISION
5TH-6TH GRADE DIVISION
3RD-4TH GRADE DIVISION
These first eight books are listed with details here on the website. Watch for the remaining books to be announced in September. Enjoy some great summer reading!
Practice skirmish questions have been posted for all divisions! Coaches can find the practice questions on our Resources page. Viewing, downloading, and printing these PDFs require your access password. Please remember that password access and practice questions are for COACH USE ONLY. If you have forgotten your access password, please email Jeneé Orso and it will be sent to you as soon as possible.
We are looking forward to our virtual tournament on Friday, April 30, 2021! Please watch the website for announcements and tournament details as we get closer to the event!
We are happy to announce the official reading list of 15 books for 2020-2021. Brief details for each book can be found here on the website. 3rd-4th Grade Division will read 9 of the books, 5th-6th will read 12, and 7th-8th will read 6 books. Please see each division’s complete list below:
3RD-4TH GRADE DIVISION
5TH-6TH GRADE DIVISION
7TH-8TH GRADE DIVISION
There is some good news for you in all this craziness. We are planning to move ahead with SALT for the 2020-2021 school year!
We have made the decision to shorten the reading lists by 25% since we might not be back on our campuses full time until at least November. We have been working to shorten the reading list and we will have that posted for you soon.
We will be extending grace on timelines to register your schools since getting your teams up and running might take some extra time.
We aren’t sure exactly what the tournament will look like on April 30th, 2021, but we are committed to making something happen if possible. It might even be a virtual tournament, but we will see what the guidelines look like closer to the spring before we make any major decisions.
Please contact us with any questions you might have. We are here to help figure out how to facilitate this and keep the momentum rolling for our kids!
We are ready to jump into our third season of SALT. As we welcome 7th and 8th graders to the club, here are the first nine books on our 2020-2021 reading list:
ALL GRADE DIVISIONS
3RD-4TH & 5TH-6TH GRADE DIVISIONS
5TH-6TH & 7TH-8TH GRADE DIVISIONS
7TH-8TH GRADE DIVISION
These first nine books are listed with details here on the website. We hope you enjoy some great summer reading. Watch for the remaining nine books to be announced in August.
We’re happy to announce the addition of junior high students to our SALT program! We are excited to get this up and rolling for the coming 2020-2021 school year. The junior high team will function the same as an elementary team but will have a shorter book list. Our hope here is that the 7th-8th Grade Division teams will be able to dive into more content-heavy books at this level. Please spread the word!
The second annual Salem Area Literature Tournament, originally scheduled for Saturday, April 4, 2020, has been POSTPONED due to Governor Kate Brown’s executive order regarding the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. The order prohibits large gatherings and places restrictions on social distancing over the next four weeks. You can find more details about the mandate here. The SALT Board of Directors will review options for resuming the tournament at a later date. We will send email notifications to coaches, and update the website, as new information becomes available.
We are so excited to get started for the school year! The official reading list for 2019-2020 is here:
Brief details for each book can be found here on the website.
Please remember that we have a mandatory coaches meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 19, 2019. Join us at 4:00 pm in the Salem Academy Elementary Library. If you are unable to attend, please contact us so we can make alternate plans to get you the current information you will need for starting up your SALT program this fall.
We are so excited to jump into our second season of SALT. Here are the first eight books on our 2019-2020 reading list:
The first eight books we’ll be diving into are listed with details here on the website. Thank you for your suggestions and we hope you enjoy some great summer reading. Watch for the remaining eight books to be announced in August.
We’re excited to announce that the second annual Salem Area Literature Tournament will be held at Salem Academy on Saturday, April 4, 2020. Our website’s tournament clock has been set so you can enjoy the anticipation! Get details about the SALT tournament here. Please remember to check the website throughout the summer for other important information and dates you will want to mark on your calendars.
We would like to congratulate Owen Lizama from Sonshine Christian School as our first recipient of the Duman Award.
We asked SALT coaches from participating schools to nominate one student that they felt was a behind-the-scenes hero and showed extraordinary kindness to their teammates. Owen stood out. Here is what his coach had to say about him…
The Duman Award was established as a way to honor our beloved teacher Trisha Duman who passed away this last December. Trisha was a huge supporter of SALT and served on our board. She was definitely one of the behind-the-scenes heroes for us as we were getting the program up and running. Trisha had many amazing characteristics, but she was best known for her kindness.
See the 2019 SALT tournament championship rounds as they unfolded on April 6, 2019. Watch Salem Academy and The Sharks compete for the 3rd & 4th Grade Division championship and Riviera and Salem Academy battle it out for the 5th & 6th Grade Division championship.
Thank you, parents and coaches, for allowing your kids to participate in SALT this year. It was a wonderful first year! I am so proud of the kids and how hard they worked.
We will post a partial SALT reading list for 2019-2020 in the early summer so please be watching for that if your kids want to get a jump on reading the books for next year. We will have the complete list of 2019-2020 SALT books posted to the website in late summer.
Thank you again for all of your support this year!
—Jeneé Orso, Director
Salem Academy hosted the first annual SALT tournament on April 6, 2019. Over 50 students from Salem area schools came together for a day of competition and team camaraderie. Students from 3rd to 6th grade put forth their best efforts for a fun and memorable competition.
Congratulations to the winners of our first-ever SALT tournament!
The Sharks (Ellie, Mason, Baron, and Chloe).
Salem Academy SALT Stars (Madilyn, Emily, Stella, and Kaely)
April is right around the corner and we are in full swing with our tournament preparations! We are looking forward to seeing you all there!
If you haven’t already done so, please submit the names of your SALT kids so we can make sure the spellings are correct for the tournament roster. Those can be emailed to jorso@saltvault.org.
Also, please remember to bring a full set of 16 SALT books with you to the April 6, 2019 tournament. These will be used for team challenges that are allowed at the end of each round. Please make sure the books are placed in a closed box or bag so competitors cannot see them during a skirmish. The sets of books will be placed next to the team coaches during competition.
Please remember that the teams need to memorize and pronounce author names correctly during competitions. A great site for learning those more difficult pronunciations is TeachingBooks.net and their Author Name Pronunciation Guide. This audio guide is really helpful. There are other sites out there with similar resources so this one is only a suggestion.
Salem Academy is hosting an in-house SALT School Competition on Friday, March 1, 2019. The competition begins at 2:15 pm in the elementary gym. Coaches are welcome to bring their teams to watch. It will be a great opportunity to see a skirmish in action and see some of the details you may not have encountered with your club yet.
Mini Skirmishes (battles) will start in January when students return from Christmas break. Mini Skirmishes will be held during regularly scheduled club times for your school. This is a great time to practice and sharpen skills for your own school competition in February, and the tournament on Saturday, April 6, 2019. Salem Academy is planning a school competition for February. A specific date will be announced as soon as possible so that you can make plans to attend and get an inside glimpse of what the tournament in April will look like.
Send us a picture of your club and tell us about your school and what your students are enjoying about SALT so far this year. You can upload your text and photo using the form located on the School Club page. All participating schools will be displayed so everyone can get to know each other.
Thank you for participating in SALT this year! We are already receiving a lot of positive feedback and are excited to see what the Lord has in store through this program this year. We trust that you and your students will be greatly blessed by joining the SALT community!