Last summer, when 16-year-old Katie Zimmermann, a Girl Scout with the Mountainside Ambassador Troop 40851, chose creating a reading program for the 5th Grade students at George Washington School in Hillside as her Girl Scout Gold Award Project, she set a goal of collecting 350 new or gently used books to help restock the school’s library. Now, a year later, the 17-year-old Junior honor student at Governor Livingston High School is wrapping up her project and leaving behind an ongoing book program in the school.
“I chose to create a ‘Book Bandy,’ which meant the students could select a book and not have to return it until they finished reading it because they were not restricted by a due date. The books also came with a review sticker that had a ‘5 Star Rating Scale’ to encourage discussion. The Book Bandy encouraged the students to try different genres of books and if they didn’t like the book, they just returned it and tried another. It was aimed at encouraging students to try larger and more challenging books that they wouldn’t normally try,” Zimmermann explained.
In addition to stocking the shelves of the Book Bandy, the teen met monthly with the students to discuss different books and literary genres, as well as give the students a chance to review their books. The children gave oral book reviews, which were later printed in the monthly newsletter Zimmermann created. The newsletter enabled those who could not attend the meeting to still get the literary genre material, student book reviews and additional sections requested, such as upcoming movies that are based on books. With the end of the school year, the monthly meetings will end, but the Book Bandy remains and the librarian and staff will continue to encourage students to “bandy” these more challenging books without a time limit or late fine. Zimmermann chose “bandy” as it means “to pass about causally, give and receive.”
“The end of year evaluations of the children and staff were that the project was an overwhelming success. The students read more and enjoyed their reading. They are now more likely to attempt more challenging genres knowing they have an unlimited time to explore them. As a result of the oral reviews, they now are more comfortable discussing their opinions with others and can more easily express what they liked or disliked about a book. In addition to increasing their reading materials, the project proved to be a confidence builder as well,” Zimmermann said.
The teen was quick to acknowledge that the success of the “Book Bandy” was a joint effort that included many people. “This project would never have been possible without so many people coming forward with books and other material donations. I have to thank the entire Mountainside community, other friends and neighbors and my fellow scouts for their help sorting, labeling, carrying books and art work. I want to thank the Mountainside View and its readers for their support. I especially want to thank the Hillside Board of Education, George Washington School administrators, staff, parents and students for their help, participation and enthusiasm. This project was a win/win for everyone. My hope is that the biggest success of this project is that these fifth graders will take their increased love of reading and spread the message to their peers. I also hope this experience will benefit them as they continue their education. It was a pleasure working with them. I will miss interacting with the students and wish them well,” Zimmermann concluded.
(above) Katie Zimmermann, a Girl Scout with the Mountainside Ambassador Troop 40851.
