One of the core memories that students often recall from elementary school was their Scholastic Book Fairs. These book fairs had a wide range of books available for all grade levels along with fun and colorful school supplies that students could purchase. Students would anticipate this event all year long making a list of books and items they want to purchase. As students graduate from middle school and enter high school, most times they would never think about this nostalgic memory returning into their lives.
Charter’s very own Book Club has now successfully held two Scholastic Book Fairs and “we are planning to make this an annual event,” states president and junior Hannah Ikner. She worked along with her two club sponsors, Ms. Chaca and Mrs. Martinez, to bring back students’ childhood.
While brainstorming for ways to earn more money for Book Club, the idea for a Scholastic Book Fair was brought up which “immediately made me [intrigued by] the idea and it stuck with me,” expresses Ikner. After hearing this, Ikner and her club sponsors were determined to make this event possible and successful no matter what.
Something different about this book fair was that young adult books were allowed to be bought by high schoolers but children’s books were still also available. High schoolers were allowed to buy the children’s books and volunteer to donate them to Joe DiMaggio and Children’s Harbor. This benefitted and motivated high schoolers because they were able to volunteer and also share a gift to a child in need.
To make this event successful, Book Club’s historian and junior Gabriella Perez was determined to create attractive yet engaging flyers and videos on all platforms. “We used the morning announcements, Instagram, and TikTok to advertise. [By promoting this, we were able to] spread the word about our cause, and [provide information on] how and where to buy and donate [the] books,” comments Perez.
After the book fair concluded on December sixth, all the donated books were counted up with a final total of 867 books. These books will then be brought to the Hospital and Children’s Harbor by Ms. Chaca and Ms. Martinez. Every student who was able to buy and donate a book was given hours and could earn up to 50 hours by helping kids in need.
Most times when students walked into the book fair back in elementary school they would all feel a sense of excitement and enjoyment. With a similar thought in mind, Ikner expresses that she “hopes students walked in and felt like a child again. I hope when they walked in the book fair filled them with joy and for a moment forgot about their worries.”
Just when we thought our book fair days were over, Book Club made sure to bring these nostalgic memories right back to Charter grounds.
