Newtown Student Helps A Book Collection Grow

By Eliza Hallabeck

Last spring, Newtown Middle School student Emily Jerris began to consider ideas for her batmitsfah project, coming up in March. Emily’s mother, Amy, said on Tuesday, January 5, Emily has always been fond of reading.

“It just seemed natural to do something with books,” said Ms Jerris. Emily and her mother then discovered Read To Grow Incorporated, which provides books for children, online. Read To Grow also has a book drive program, which allows volunteers to set up book drives in their community.

Emily and Ms Jerris began volunteering time at the Sandy Hook library earlier this school year, and soon after the idea of collecting books for Read To Grow at the school evolved.

“I’m glad I choose this,” said Emily, “because I really like to read.”

The book collection at Sandy Hook School began at the start of December and will run through the end of January. Library/media specialist Beverly Bjorklund said recently the program had collected more than 1,100 books before winter break.

“This was really feeding my goal of having students understand the idea of giving,” said Ms Bjorklund.

Using the idea of giving from the book The Quilt Maker’s Gift, by Jeff Brumbeau, Ms Bjorklund has students at the school fill out a piece of paper, recreating the cover of a book they are donating, and adds that paper to a large wall to form a quilt of book covers just outside the school’s library.

Ms Bjorklund said the program helps students understand they can “help children who do not have books.”

No books from the Sandy Hook School library have or will add to the book drive collection. While the effort is only open to Sandy Hook School families, Excel Tutoring, 20 Church Hill Road, also has a collection box set up for collections from the public.

“It has evolved as an ongoing book drive,” said Ms Jerris about her daughter’s effort.

Ms Jerris said Ms Bjorklund has been wonderful in helping the effort, and the B’Nai Israel Synagogue in Southbury, at 444 Main Street North, has also set up a collection booth for gently used and new books.

“It is just amazing how generous people have been,” Ms Jerris said.

Emily said collecting books for Read To Grow was a good idea, because “it helps young children’s literacy. They can learn to read at young age.”