Aided
by student volunteers from a high school club, leaders of The Kids’ Reading
Room project opened its third children’s reading room recently in a Spring
Branch area apartment complex, the Hammerly Walk Apartments.
The
three separate apartment reading rooms are the book loving brainchild of Trish
Schappell, who is a Rummel Creek Elementary School Interdisciplinary Coach, or
iCoach.
The
three brightly lit reading rooms are staffed by adult and high school
volunteers weekly. Students can check out and return books on an honor basis.
The rooms and all books, furniture and supplies are funded by private
donations.
Schappell’s
simple goals are the key building blocks for student success in school –
literacy for all and instilling the love of reading in children.
At
the Hammerly Walk Apartments located across from Cedar Brook Elementary,
student volunteers with the Spring Woods High Key Club and a teacher volunteer
joined dozens of students of all ages one recent afternoon after school.
In
a large second-floor room, they sat on couches, beanbags or at tables, sprawled
on a carpeted floor, paged through picture and chapter books, and browsed
shelves of various book options – from Magic Tree House to Big Nate
books, from pop-up books to tales about fairies.
Thanks
to generous donors, there is a big selection of books to choose from.
Schappell
read aloud a holiday-themed story, Halloween Night, and encouraged all
the students to find books to take back to their apartments and read for the
week ahead.
The
honor system works well: Children put their decorated rulers into the stacks to
mark where their books should be re-shelved when returned.
“This
is an awesome opportunity for children to be educated and learn not just at
school, but at home. It’s designed to be one-on-one between a volunteer and
their child,” says Sharon Santos, the Key Club president at Spring Woods High.
“I
would have appreciated something like this when I was younger, because it’s
almost like having a mentor. As Key Club members, we all can take the
initiative here to help younger students,” adds Santos, a senior.
“Most
of my students live in apartments just like this one. Most of them don’t have a
lot of reading material at home,” says Lindsey Copp, a SBISD prekindergarten
teacher at The Lion Lane School for Early Learning. “This may be an option for
my school.”
The
Kids’ Reading Room, a nonprofit organization, was established about a year ago
by Schappell and her husband, Vincent. The couple has worked tirelessly to find
books and shelving donations, set up and organize rooms, and find willing
volunteers.
“This
is absolutely the most challenging thing I have ever done, yet it brings me
such joy! Through the reading rooms, I discovered what I was meant to do,”
Schappell says.
The
Kids Reading Rooms have taught her valuable lessons about leadership and perseverance,
and she knows that it could not happen without others. “I am tremendously
grateful to my husband for all his effort and understanding, for the support of
SBISD, and for all the volunteers that make this happen. Working with the
students and volunteers is one of the highlights of my day,” she says.
The
nonprofit started its community work in November 2013 when Castlewood
Apartments Manager Joei Hayes opened up a space to create a “public” reading
and meeting room for residents there.
Housman
Elementary iCoach Shelene Livas and others have helped to pass fliers out to
bus students that serves Castlewood Apartment as meeting reminders.
Since
then, the Kids’ Reading Room at Castlewood has received many book and shelving
donations from Rummel Creek Elementary parents and teachers, as well as from
neighborhood and other donors.
Recently,
the group received a huge surprise with a $5,000 anonymous donation. Another
funding group, thepollinationproject.org, gave the Schappells a $1,000
grant to help them establish nonprofit status.
The
second reading room opened in February at Gentry House Apartments. Story time
is provided for children there and all students are encouraged to read on their
own, with friends, and with volunteers. Nearby Edgewood Elementary promotes
that reading room to apartment parents, students and teachers, too.
At
Hammerly Walk Apartments, Cedar Brook Elementary encourages its students to
attend. More than 30 students have attended recent Monday afternoon openings
there.
Eagle
Scout candidate Josh Castro and his friends have collected more than 3,000
books and 17 bookshelves for that reading room.
In
recent weeks, The Kids’ Reading Room has added a new website and put out a call
for more volunteers. Schappell hopes that more students will step up to help in
the future.
Trish
Schappell’s view only gets bigger. Next year, she hopes to open several new
apartment reading rooms. She believes that the SBISD community is ready to
partner with her to help meet her vision of a world filled with young readers.
To
learn more about The Kids’ Reading Room:
Volunteers
Needed
Adult
and student volunteers are needed to help maintain three reading rooms.
Professionals
with fundraising experience are needed especially.
Where:
Castlewood Apartments, 7000 Westview
When:
Mondays, 4:15-5:30 p.m.
Where:
Hammerly Walk Apartments, 8787 Hammerly Blvd.
When:
Mondays, 4-5:15 p.m.
Where:
Gentry House Apartments, 9001 Kempwood
When:
Tuesday or Thursday, 4-5:15 p.m.
Contact
Trish Schappell
281-235-9620
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