Past projects 20
Support Our Book Club to Grow Life-Long Readers!
Funded Feb 3, 2022Thank you for your generosity in funding our book club's Spring Semester book selections. Upon returning to campus with the ups and downs of the pandemic, the students were eager to escape into reading and to share new stories with each other through book club.
Each week students meet to update each other on the progress on the chosen book, make predictions about where the story will go, and give their overall review of the characters, plot, writing style, and themes. Through books, these students develop new friendships and create a unique community around their love of literature.
None of this would be possible without your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cheby
This classroom project was brought to life by Panda Cares and 5 other donors.Books for Avid Readers: Support Our Book Club!
Funded Oct 21, 2021These books really helped our book club students to bond and the book club to grow. Especially after the isolation of distance learning, students were eager to share and connect their love of reading in book club. They were excited to have something in print to hold and reader as a change from the now mostly online school work.
Each week the students would share their progress (and try not to give spoilers) through that month's selection. It is fun to hear them argue over characters they love or hate and to make predictions about what will happen next. When they finish a book there is always much celebrating or complaining depending on how satisfied they were with the end of the book.
The students often also discuss their growing libraries, thanks to donors like you, and how they sometimes are finally able to procure book cases for all their books! What a gift to support such love of literacy and literature! Thank you.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cheby
This classroom project was brought to life by Dollar General Literacy Foundation and 5 other donors.To Grow Readers, Books Are Required
Funded Jan 12, 2020Our book club members were excited to come back from winter break to new books. We loved the first book in this series and were excited to continue with books 2 and 3. The book club meets weekly and gives students a place to share their joy of reading, to debate and predict what will happen in this series, and build community. They meet in the library workroom where they can discuss and eat lunch together. With our set of books, we always order an extra one so that we can welcome new members with a set of books. Thus I was able to recruit a new member from a visiting class who happened to be a fantasy fiction fan.
As a title 1 school, many of our students do not have the means to build their own library. Because of donors like you, we are able to give students the seeds to their own library, a gift avid readers like you surely understand the value of. In doing so, we validate and encourage these students the joy of reading and owning literature in order to become life-long readers and book buyers.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cheby
Building Community Through Shared Reading: Books for Book Club
Funded Jun 25, 2019Thank you for your generous donation of books to our book club. The book club varies each year of about 10 to 15 members. The ability to offer free books to students encourages many to join the club. Mainly, this promotes independent learning and allows students to develop communities around literacy.
While student read the books independently (though many will spend breaks reading in the library), they gather weekly to discuss the books as they make progress. Senior members will lead more formal discussions at the end of a book cycle. This develops leadership and social skills in addition to the reading.
Since we are a Title 1 school, the students who love to read but come from families that cannot afford books love the chance to start a personal library through books we acquire through donors choose. I've had student tell me how they were able to find or buy a bookshelf to store their books after a few years. The joy is indescribable and your impact supports students' development of life-long literacy and literature as a joy to be shared.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cheby
Meet the Authors: Robyn Schneider, Jen Wang, & Nicole Maggi
Funded Mar 6, 2019On February 28th during 2nd period we had over 200 students attend the library's 6th annual literary assembly. This year we had three YA fiction authors: Nicole Maggi, Robyn Schneider, and Jen Wang. We also rolled out a new format with shorter readings from each author and a panel discussion led by our Literature Club members. A local bookstore provided books for sale to be signed by the authors.
The theme of the assembly was Finding Your Voice. Each author spoke about her journey to becoming an author and the continued challenges of writing. From how do they find inspiration to how do you bring life to ghosts as characters, all the authors demonstrated how in writing (and life) there is never just one answer or solution to a challenge.
The authors also talked about the extensive research for their books. Nicole Maggi's novel Forgetting incorporated research about human trafficking. In order to bring accuracy and authenticity to the book, she interviewed and worked with real non-profit organizations that educate communities about human trafficking and provide support for victims. Jen Wang researched fashion for the time period and location of her book The Prince and the Dressmaker and combined it with newer trends in fashion to create the unique designs of her protagonist.
By the time we got to the Q&A portion of the event, there was a line of students waiting to ask questions about writing and publishing. After the bell rang dismissing students to lunch, many stayed to ask questions, buy books, and meet the authors one-on-one.
Students and faculty were eager to check out the books by the authors in our library and many told me how much they learned from the authors and enjoyed learning more about the process of writing and publishing. This would not have been possible without your support.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cheby
Fantasizing About a Wintery Adventure
Funded Oct 12, 2018Words can't describe how thankful I am for your kindness! The Forgetting was an magnificent read that all members of the club enjoyed! The premise of the story was well executed and Georgie Kendrick was a compelling protagonist. It was a thrilling mystery. This book featured a lot of foreshadowing that was masterfully tied up in the end of the story and the characters were all unique! The members of my club are as thankful for your generosity as am I. Your actions mean a lot to us because the book you donated helps sustain our club. The more material we read, the longer we are united, and the longer we are united, the more we bond. This club is full of people who enjoy literature and that love of literature has brought a life long friendship that helps us survive high school. Your kindness has also allowed us to venture out of our comfort zones and learn that to live in fear is to miss out on some wonderful experiences. Personally, I didn't know what to expect from The Forgetting since I don't normally read thrillers. I'm typically into romance novels or fantasy ones, but when I started to read the novel, I couldn't put it down! It was captivating and always kept me guessing, two things I enjoy greatly. I truly and honestly can't thank you enough for what you have done for my club!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cheby
Exploring New Galaxies Through Reading
Funded Mar 3, 2018Words can't describe how thankful I am for your kindness! A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was an enjoyable read for all members of the club! It was a nice change of pace to stray from the usually YA books we read and it helped us reach our goal of venturing into different genres. Our club usually doesn't read science fiction, let alone comedic science fiction, but this novel managed to catch all of our interest and brought up some thought provoking discussions! This book featured a lot of foreshadowing that was masterfully tied up in the end of the story and the characters were compelling. The members of my club are as thankful for your generosity as I. Your actions mean a lot to us because the book you donated helps prolong our club. The more material we read, the longer we are united, and the longer we are united, the more we bond. This club is full of people who enjoy literature and that love of literature has brought a life long friendship that helps us survive high school. Your kindness has also allowed us to venture out of our comfort zones and learn that to live in fear is to miss out on some wonderful experiences. Personally, I didn't know what to expect from A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I don't normally read science fiction. I'm typically into romance novels or fantasy ones but when I started to read the novel, I couldn't put it down! It was captivating and humorous, two things I enjoy greatly. I truly and honestly can't thank you enough for what you have done for my club!”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cheby
All New Words for 2018: Books for Book Club
Funded Jan 25, 2018I am the co-president of our school's literature club, a combination of book club and creative writing club. I would like to thank you so much for funding our Donor's Choose Project for copies of All the Wind in the World by by Samantha Mabry. I would definitely recommend this book as a great YA Fiction read for lovers of novels set in the future with romance, mystery, and possible magic. The book explores how magic and superstition play a big part in the society, where prophets and curses exist. Told from the perspective of Sarah Jac, a young woman who made a terrible mistake and is now on the run with her "cousin" James, in this book we follow her on her stay at the Real Marvelous ranch. She encounters jealousy, friendship, anger, and love, which are made relatable despite this book being set in a desolate desert in the future.
Our theme this year for our reading is exploring different genres, and we wanted to continue our journey with a fiction novel. In our research, we discovered All the Wind in the World, and thought this book would be a great read. Reading brings us together as not only a club, but a group of friends. I can attest that we all use reading to escape the stresses students often face in high school. As we read this book through midterms, full of tests, essays, and projects, I know just having a meeting to discuss the book really put our minds at ease and allowed us to de-stress. We entered a world with an unforgiving desert landscape, full of superstition and a ranch that puts the characters to work physically and mentally, even if it was just for a few minutes every day. Personally, reading allows me to take a break from studying, and even with my busy schedule, I prioritize reading. Being engrossed in a great book makes me forget all the stress I'm feeling, and honestly is what gets me through the day. Exploring the life of a young woman full of hopes and dreams who will do anything to protect those closest to her and get out of poverty really takes my mind away from any worries, pressures, or anxieties I'm feeling. I know the rest of the club shares my passion for reading, and uses it to get away from their daily lives and stresses.
Literature club brings book lovers together, and it has allowed new members to make friends. I know personally I made friends through literature club. I came to high school not knowing anyone, and quickly made friends who also shared my love of reading. I wanted to share that experience with new members by continuing to run the club. I'm already seeing new members becoming friends, and it makes me feel as if I'm doing something good and that the club is really impacting member's lives.
This project has taught me that I don't always have to do everything by myself. Often I enjoy taking the lead on projects, but am often left to do everything by myself. Adding these tasks and stresses to my already busy schedule can really take a toll on my well being. I knew I couldn't do this project alone, so I asked for help, something I rarely do. I split the work with my co-president, and it was a relief to not have to do all the work for once. I learned that asking for help is nothing to be ashamed of, and doing it can really make a difference. I'm glad I was able to learn this lesson through this project.
On behalf of our club, thank you for funding our project. You have allowed us to read such a wonderful book, a pleasure that I'm sure you know well. You have allowed for a great start to our year at book club.
Best Wishes,
Citlali”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cheby
This classroom project was brought to life by The First Million Fund and one other donor.The Pen as Equalizer: Empowering Communities Through Poetry
Funded Oct 11, 2017Thank you for supporting F. Douglas Brown's visit to our school. For students, the connection to reading and writing is often impersonal and seems irrelevant to their lives and world. Mr. Brown's experience as a teacher, poet, and community organizer allowed him to bridge that gap for many students. In the workshop, he introduced students strategies and themes for them to discuss the upcoming Big Read LA book and, as a student of the author, Claudia Rankine, was able to personalize this text for the students. At the assembly, he connected his lessons from working with her to his own work, which he shared with the students. Over 200 students attended the assembly and many wrote letters of thanks or came to me to tell me how significant it was to see a writer, a real person behind these books, and to make the connection that all this literature they read is actually connected to a person's life. It may seem obvious to us, but for students, this is often a revelation. Finally, by supporting library program, you help to remind the community of the library's role in supporting students learning and growth, both academic and personal.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cheby
The Pen as Equalizer: Overcoming Inequality Through Writing
Funded Sep 17, 2017Thank you for supporting Melissa Chadburn's visit to our school. For students, the connection to reading and writing is often impersonal and seems irrelevant to their lives and world. Ms. Chadburn's journalism and fiction is exceptional in how she bridges the personal with issues that are urgent and relevant in our world and to many of our students. Her own story of working her way out of the foster care system to success as a union activist and professor inspired many students who may not believe that people like themselves can become someone whose voice matters and creates change in the world. Moreover, many teachers came to me connecting her reading and presentation to their own research and teaching interests. This shared experience and reference is something they can bring in to class discussions and analysis. Finally, in supporting this library event, you help me remind the school community that the library is a place of active learning and engagement with the world and is here to support student growth, both academic and personal.”
With gratitude,
Ms. Cheby