NORFOLK, Va. — Students at St. Helena Elementary School in Norfolk’s Berkley neighborhood are building their home libraries — one free book at a time.
Through the Scripps Howard Fund, supported by donations from viewers, enough money was raised so every student at the school can receive 10 free books this year. Students picked out their first five books in January and are getting another five this week during the school’s Scholastic Book Fair.
Each book is valued at about $6, bringing the total investment to $15,720 — including $7,680 in January and $8,070 this month.
Inside the library, the transformation is immediate — rows of books replacing the usual setup, and students eagerly scanning shelves for their next read.
Media specialist Nancy Stinson said the excitement is hard to miss.
“I love when the kids come in… the eyes are popping like, oh my goodness,” Stinson said. “When they come in, I tell them, they can pick whatever… they don’t have to worry about money.”
She said that access is critical, especially as students head into summer break.
“That’s during a time that they’re not reading… for those two months the reading levels go down,” Stinson said. “So we want to make sure they have the books at home and ones they enjoy reading.”
Fourth grader Journey Hinton said the opportunity to choose her own books — and see her classmates do the same — makes reading more meaningful.
“It makes me feel happy that people are happy to get different books and be able to read,” Hinton said. “It’s very important because I think you’re going to need to use reading in your entire life.”
Hinton said reading also helps her grow beyond the classroom.
“I feel like you can learn different things, different words, and just put it in your story,” she said.
Students like D’Lorah Hale say having more books at home simply makes reading more fun.
“It feels really good because I get lots of different books,” Hale said.
For Stinson, the goal is to keep students engaged long after the school year ends — giving them books they actually want to read.
“They got brand new books with characters they enjoy… that draws them in,” she said. “It makes a wonderful difference if they can just read that 15 minutes.”
At St. Helena Elementary, that difference is already taking shape — as students walk out with books in hand and a reason to keep reading.
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