| March 11, 2011 Third Graders Participated in Service Project Earning 1000 Books to Benefit Neighboring School SURPRISE, ARIZONA-Third grade students at Imagine Rosefield recently completed a service learning project that allowed them to earn free books for students at Imagine Avondale by reading books, themselves. |  |
This innovative program was developed in cooperation with Read for a Need and Opportunity for Children to Help Others (OCHO). Over 100 third graders at Imagine Rosefield read a surprising 1,300 books on the We Give Books website, which earned them 1000 books to donate toward a book fair for their sister school, Imagine Avondale. The students additionally collected nearly 1,000 additional books for the book fair.
“Our students just loved this project! They were very touched knowing that their efforts would impact real children that they would get to meet,” said Anne Hui, a third grade teacher at Imagine Rosefield. “They were extremely proud to actually give each child at Imagine Elementary Avondale school three books to keep.”
Imagine Rosefield Principal, Cynthia Juarez explained that the inspiration for this project came from a Time magazine article dated April 17, 2010 which stated, “Increasingly, neuroscientists, psychologists and educators believe that bullying and other kinds of violence can indeed be reduced by encouraging empathy at an early age. Over the past decade, research in empathy — the ability to put ourselves in another person’s shoes — has suggested that it is key, if not the key, to all human social interaction and morality.”
Juarez went on to explain, “Going to another school and running the book fair was the biggest highlight for Imagine Rosefeld students who now understand the need for children to have books of their own. Knowing that they were helping 480 students was so impactful. They had a firsthand chance to truly feel empathy and were empowered knowing that, at their young age, they were capable of making a difference in the lives of others.”
Teachers at Imagine Avondale Elementary school were so touched seeing their students so full of smiles. Each Imagine Rosefeld student was paired up with a child to help him or her select books. Even though the recipient students were so excited, once they received their books it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Students flipped through their new books and were reading so diligently while their classmates finished selecting books.
The impact of this project can best be summed up by Madi Luft, a third grade student at Imagine Rosefield, “Kids who don’t have books really deserve to have some. I enjoyed helping other kids find books at the book fair. ”
Hui continued, “This was the first ever free book fair organized by Imagine Rosefield students to benefit Imagine Avondale students. This highly successfully and powerful event will surely be repeated so that next year’s students can experience the same joy and feelings of accomplishment.”
Imagine Rosefield is a tuition free school serving students in kindergarten through sixth grade by creating a vibrant learning community of achievement and hope. Imagine Rosefield is known for its accelerated program which attracts students throughout the West Valley. For more information about Imagine Rosefield, please see www.imaginerosefield.com.