We hit our Book Credits goal!

Students in Starkville, Mississippi can't wait

for new books to call their own!

Thank you Paperbackswap.com for providing us with this incredible opportunity to enrich our students’ lives through the exciting world of books. Your kindness and generosity could provide our students with their first chance to begin a personal library at home and our new teachers a chance to build a classroom library to benefit all their students.

Ward Stewart Elementary School is a Title One school located in Starkville, MS. We have a very diverse population of students.  While some of our students are children of academics at Mississippi State University, the qualifying free and reduced lunch students make up nearly 70% of our population.   Our school consists of approximately 750 students in 3^rd and 4^th  grades with a large percentage of students reading below grade level.  Research has shown that successful readers read and read and read.   We want to help turn frustrated readers into successful readers and we want to give our students that chance for success.

While Ward Stewart is currently a 3^rd and 4^th grade school, in the past it has housed many different grades, including high school.   While the population has changed, the library has remained largely the same.  Many of our books are not at the proper levels for 3^rd and 4^th graders.  With the tight economic times, it is slow going trying to get enough appropriate books to successfully serve 750 students.

While our parents try to be very supportive of their children, purchasing books must take a back seat to providing the basic essentials of life.  Many of our students do not have books of their own at home. 

So the bottom line is: our children need books in the library, in the classroom, and at home.  Your kindness will put books in all three areas of our students' lives. 

Thank you from all our students!

Linda LaFrance, Librarian/Media Specialist