Some Española School District students did their part to make sure the area’s elementary school students got at least one educational gift for the holiday season.
About 41 students and three teachers distributed roughly 3,000 books, Dec. 18, to the students at the District’s 11 elementary schools. The books were transported in 150 boxes.
Middle School teacher and Student Council sponsor Dave Riser said the students came up with the idea for the book giveaway, after exploring ways to make the greatest impact on area students.
“The student council state project is doing something with the kids, so they were like, ‘We should go read to them,’” he said. “I was like, ‘That is cool, but that is kind of a one-time thing.’ So we thought of a way we can do more and they said we should give them books.”
Riser said he thought it was a good idea, especially since he has a family friend who collects books and distributes to students who attend various Albuquerque elementary schools.
That friend, along with several other members of Christ United Methodist Church’s United Methodist Women, arranged for the student organization to receive a huge shipment of used books.
“We got in touch with them and said if they got books, we will take as many books as they can give us,” Riser said. “We will give one to every student in the District.”
Española Middle School eighth-grader and Student Council Vice President Chantal Morales said when she graduates high school, she plans to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) or California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to pursue a career in math.
She said she enjoyed participating in the book drive because it encourages students to learn.
“It felt like an accomplishment,” Morales said. “When we delivered the books, I enjoyed seeing the students smile. It gives the younger students a positive message about staying in school.”
One of the group’s members, Ruth Trybou, said her organization started distributing books, about three years ago, as a way of possibly improving the life chances of the elementary-aged children who lived in Albuquerque’s International District, also known as the “War Zone.”
“Our church is in a very low-income neighborhood with a varied population,” she said. “One of the best things we can do is improve literacy with the schools. It is a good way for our womens group to be involved in the lives of kids. Literacy is the greatest thing we can give our kids and we got (sic) to encourage it.”
She said church members buy the books from various resale outlets. The womens group also regularly buys a handful of new books to make sure none of the students are left out.
“Anyone can go to yard sales and thrift stores, but our womens group budgets a certain amount to get books in Spanish,” Trybou said. “We were doing two or three distributions per year.”
She said the ongoing book drives coincide with her group’s efforts of making “lives better for children, youth and women.”
Toy drive
Along with the books, the Student Council distributed a couple thousand toys.
Former Española resident Lilly Martinez spearheaded an effort with the National Guard Armory in Rio Rancho, that led to about 2,000 toys being donated to the Student Council for distribution.
She said Española was an excellent target of the organization’s charitable efforts because it is often overlooked.
“I like to give back to the community,” Martinez said. “I know a lot of people tend to forget about Española and they expect a little less than most people do.”
Riser said he would like to see the book and toy drive gain enough staying power to become an annual event.
“It would be great if this became a tradition every year or something like it,” he said. “The schools really enjoyed them and our Student Council got a lot of letters and cards from various classrooms, thanking us for the books. It was received really well.”