One Teacher Assistant + Social Media = Books for Students
Cindy Czarnik, second grade teacher assistant at District 59’s Robert Frost School in Mount Prospect, wanted to insure Frost second grade students had access to summer reading materials. Robert Frost School’s population is over 65% low-income and several students live in unincorporated Elk Grove Township, therefore having no access to a public library.
Ms. Czarnik decided to help with a book drive that was started by the Frost Student Resource Team to collect books for students to read over the summer when they could not access the school’s library. Her first contact was through Elmhurst eMoms on Facebook. Having formerly lived in Elmhurst, she was already a member of the group. She was quite surprised with the wonderful response she got. She decided to join the eMoms group of Schaumburg, her current home. Again, the response was overwhelming!
Over the last several weeks Ms. Czarnik has been picking up donations from across Elmhurst and Schaumburg. Through Facebook, people have shared her story and have contacted her with offers of help. To date she has collected over 300 books, more than enough to give two books to each second grade student and at least one book to each student at Robert Frost School who does not have access to a public library.
To assist with students’ summer reading, Robert Frost School is holding summer learning nights on the school’s lawn every Tuesday evening from June 17-August 12. Robert Frost teachers Michelle Nero, Chris Rayner, Cynthia Mendivil, Liz Loverde and Karen Styzinski will facilitate the summer program. Students can read, write a story or enjoy math games and can also swap books to take home.