Reading Room Group Wraps Up Gift Books

National Honor Society students from Northbrook High School Danielle Garcia, Manuel Conchola and Chyna Govea gift wrapped books for The Kids Reading Room.

Students with Northbrook High School’s National Honor Society helped gift wrap more than 100 sets of new books last weekend. In the days ahead, area youths will unwrap gift sets that just might fuel their imaginations and improve reading skills!

Beginning on Thursday, Dec. 10, the honor society students are partnering with other volunteers from The Kids Reading Room to host fun holiday parties in five Spring Branch area apartment complexes this week where space has been donated to create libraries serving young children and Spring Branch ISD students who are apartment residents.

Thursday’s holiday party at the Waterford Place Apartments near Northbrook High School will include distribution of gift-wrapped books. Sets of up to four books are being given to young readers after Scholastic Inc. donated roughly 15,000 books to the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation.

The foundation gave 500 books to The Kids Reading Room. The five local reading rooms based in neighborhood apartments were begun by Trish Schappell, a SBISD interdisciplinary instructional coach based at Rummel Creek Elementary School.

Trish Schappell displays some of the books recently donated to The Kids Reading Room. 

Last Saturday, National Honor Society students Danielle Garcia, Manuel Conchola and Chyna Govea joined Schappell and other volunteers to gift wrap books.

The students volunteer weekly to read with and to students, pass out snacks, act as student mentors and help organize The Kids Reading Room library centers. “I am so grateful for their leadership, consistency and big hearts,” Schappell said.

At Waterford Place Apartment’s party, up to a dozen student volunteers will make ornaments and snowmen bookmarks with students, decorate sugar cookies and, of course, read from classic tale, “The Night Before Christmas.”

In addition to the new reading room at Waterford Place, Schappell’s nonprofit has partnered with Spring Spirit Baseball and located a reading room library in Spring Spirit’s community center, which serves seven separate apartment communities.

Other Spring Branch area locations for The Kids Reading Rooms:

• Hammerly Walk Apartments, 8787 Hammerly Blvd., Houston, TX 77080
• Castlewood Apartments, 7100 Westview Drive, Houston TX 77055
• Gentry House Apartments, 9001 Kempwood Drive, Houston TX 77080

To learn more about The Kids Reading Rooms, please visit:
www.kidsreadingroom.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheKidsReadingRoom/