Local elementary schools holding virtual book fairs

MT. PLEASANT - The elementary buildings in Mt. Pleasant aren't letting school closures get in the way of their annual Spring Book Fairs.

Marjorie Gibson, the district's librarian, said after having to cancel their events, representatives from publishing company Scholastic reached out and offered to host virtual book fairs instead.

Harlan and Van Allen, who were slated to hold their fairs some time in the second semester, will now instead encourage students and parents to browse selections online. Van Allen's virtual fair is from April 29 to May 12 and Harlan's will be from May 4 through May 17.

'We wanted to promote this, not just only to help the library but also students who need to keep reading,” Gibson said.

The librarian said having books at home allows students to familiarize themselves with stories and characters.

'They become part of their growing up and maybe they share them with others in their family and practice reading and become acquainted with characters they know and love,” Gibson said. She also noted the Scholastic website has recommendations on books based on grade levels for parents and other family members who are wondering which books to purchase for students.

Kris Jeffrey, the library paraeducator for Van Allen, said since the closures began, she has been making videos of herself reading that have been posted online for students.

'Getting books into the hands of students is such an essential factor in keeping them reading. That is why I really enjoy the book fairs. Having the online fair will not only provide that opportunity but help support our library,” Jeffrey added.

Though the fairs are hosted by the two buildings, students across the district as well as community members are encouraged to participate.

Through the online fair, book lovers cannot only score some reading material, but also help the schools build credit with Scholastic, which will go toward purchasing books for the district's libraries.

'The fairs are very important because we have limited budgets in the elementary schools. Scholastic Dollars help us get books we need and keep up to day with things coming out,” Gibson said.

The librarian also said the fairs are usually 'an opportunity for the community to come together,” and is a way for people to support the schools 'even if they may not have students in the district any longer.”

'There are many of the books that I have had to weed out due to them falling apart. I would love to replace those and add more recently published books,” Jeffrey added.

To participate, community members can visit the designated virtual book fair links for Harlan and Van Allen at https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/harlanelementaryschool1 and https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/vanallenelementaryschool1.