Health & Fitness
Scotland School Students Celebrate Birthdays with Books
Scotland Elementary School students give books to the school library on behalf of their birthdays.
A typical birthday celebration involves giving gifts to the birthday boy or girl, but at Scotland Elementary School, students had the opportunity to give a gift in honor of their special day.
In 2004, two moms who had moved to Ridgefield from the Midwest, started the birthday book program with the school PTA and the support of the library. In the past nine years, over 1,100 new books have been added to the school library as a result of the program.
Last week, when students visited the library, they had the chance to choose the book they wanted to donate on their behalf. Each district library has funds to purchase books that support the school curriculum, but the birthday books are special because it adds the opportunity to purchase books on subjects of particular interest to students. This year, students donated 145 new books to the library.
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Melinda Violante, the Scotland librarian explained, “The birthday book program means we can keep our collection current and keep students excited about reading. It is also a chance for students to choose a book on a subject or genre they are interested in and make that book a part of our library.”
After the students choose a book, a nameplate is placed inside the front cover with each student’s name and birthday. A sticker with a cake symbol is placed on the spine of the book, which makes the books easily identifiable as “birthday books” on the shelf. The students enjoy seeing their name inside of a library book and the student who donates the book gets to be the first one to check it out. Students also like finding a friend or sibling’s book and look for the birthday cake label.
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Melinda Violante underscored the value of new books, “They allow our students to experience one of the most basic, and simple joys we have; the opening of a new unfamiliar cover, the crack of a new spine, the smell of a new page, the beginning of a new adventure.” And, ultimately, the Scotland students do receive a gift from their donation, the knowledge that they had the chance to enhance their school with each new book!
