Book Swap Demonstrates That YISS Loves Books

The YISS community loves to read, so a favorite event organized by the PTO is the annual Book Swap. The Book Swap is a PTO initiative to provide new reading material for the YISS community. Students, parents, and staff place books that they no longer read in a collection bin in the main lobby, and after the PTO has time to collect, sort, and organize the books, those who donated books are invited to pick out the same number of books that they dropped off. That way, everyone gets to take home “new” reading material!

This year´s Book Swap saw a 20% growth in the number of participants over the previous years. In just a span of three weeks, almost 2,500 books were placed in the drop-off box in the main lobby. Most of the gently-used books that were dropped off found new families among participants during the two days of the swap. While selecting books, the chatting was delightful to hear. “I want to read them all!” cried an excited 2nd grade student. “Most of my favorite series are here,” a 4th grade student remarked. “Look! I don't have enough hands for all titles I like,” a 7th grade student said. “These books look like they are new,” an ES staff member concluded.

After the swap ended, even those who did not donate any books were able to choose from the remaining books. The books that remained were donated to the NGO Aklatan sa Kostal (Library in the Coasts), which promotes literacy by building small libraries in remote areas in the Philippines.

A special thank you goes to BSA Troop 82 for volunteering to set up the Book Swap in the main lobby, and to our wonderful librarians, Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Dwight, for their generous donations, which increased the number of books available. Thank you also to the PTO volunteers who helped sort and arrange the books, as well as facilitate the Book Swap. For those involved, it was rewarding watching students’ eyes light up when they found a treasure, that very special book to take home and enjoy.