(courtesy of Fran Honan) Students at P.S. 232 in Howard Beach collected more than 5,000 books to donate to schools in South Africa.
It appears that the children of Howard Beach who attend P.S. 232 are avid readers: they brought in more than 5,000 used books from their homes to donate to schools in South Africa.
Many of the approximately 790 students donated three to six books, their principal, Lisa Josephson, said. Then, their parents stopped by the school to drop off shopping bags filled with even more books.
As the book collection grew and began filling up boxes, it was clear to Josephson that the entire P.S. 232 community was excited to take part in this project, which was started by kindergarten teacher Lori Weschler. The idea came to her last December, during a visit to South Africa, where she discovered the state of privation in which most students learn: their schools have no books and few of the supplies that most children at P.S. 232 take for granted.
“They’re spoiled,” Josephson quipped, but still eager to participate. Whether in their classes or through television, the students learn about the poverty that plagues other parts of the world. Having a great sense of community activism, they felt it was their duty to give back, according to their principal.
Students applauded when the idea was first suggested to them, Josephson said. Immediately, they started coordinating and planning the project: book collection began the very next day, as students already brought in books to school.
Parents, too, were eager to hand over books, mostly because they were relieved to unload their bookshelves, Josephson said, adding that contributions to the effort were generous and the participants never lost sight of their goal.
“The children on both sides of the world are learning a valuable lesson that we are all on this planet together and we need to connect in any way we can,” said Fran Honan, a P.S. 232 teacher, who helped launch the project. She was especially proud of the student council, which took over the effort, worked hard and “really stepped up to it.”
Last week, the students completed the book collection, which filled up 28 boxes, and helped load them into a large freight container provided by Weschler’s son who works at Kennedy International Airport.
The container will be shipped to South Africa in the next two months and delivered to the “School Outreach Programme” — a group dedicated to improving the conditions of schools in poor areas. Members of the organization will travel around the country, distributing the books to various schools in need.
Since they have at least a month before their container is shipped off, the students decided to do a little more donating — this time of backpacks and other school supplies. A P.S. 232 student group, called “Kids Who Care,” will use some of the proceeds of its annual Penny Harvest to help with the project, Honan said.
It won’t end there, Josephson added. Students will continue to learn about different cultures and societies; about benevolence and charity; and, most importantly, about themselves and their roles in the world.
