This summer is shaping up to be a lot easier for Kara Cowdrick. Last year, the Chesney Elementary fifth grade teacher used a $3,500 grant to stock a bookmobile that she took once a week to two apartment complexes in the Duluth school’s district. But the trip wasn’t easy.
“Last summer I used my mom’s minivan as the bookmobile, so every Wednesday for 10 weeks we switched off cars,” said Cowdrick. “I’d load all the books into the van, then drive to the apartments that serve the highest population of our students. I had 47 volunteers from the community, teachers and school administrators who helped out for about 45 minutes at each place.”
Word of Cowdrick’s summer project quickly got around town and eventually caught the ear of Mayor Nancy Harris, who shared the story with the owners of Rick Case car dealership who stepped in with assistance.
“The mayor came to see what we were doing, and she was really moved and impressed by the number of families who made a point to be there,” said Cowdrick. “She asked whose vehicle I used, and I had to say it was my mom’s. But in January, they surprised me with Rick Case Duluth’s support, a partnership that means this summer we’ll have a van from Rick Case come with us. And two of their employees will drive the bookmobile. It will be a huge help not to have to worry about insurance or anything like that.”
The “Chesney Champion Bookmobile” van will carry the 2,100-plus pre-K through high school books that Cowdrick purchased after receiving a $3,500 grant from the Atlanta Families for Excellence in Education. The idea for the project was inspired by her observations after teaching at the 1,200-student school for seven years.
“Every year we notice our students’ reading levels decrease during the summer, but we weren’t doing anything about it,” she said. “The kids didn’t always have access to the public library, and a lot of their parents were working during the day, too. So I got the idea for a bookmobile. We put all these books into plastic bins and took them to the parking lot of the complexes where it was easy for kids to reach in and get the ones they wanted.”
The weekly van visits were such a hit that Cowdrick and the volunteers often pulled in to parking lot to find a crowd of kids waiting for them. Anywhere from 30 to 70 students each week borrowed 2,171 books over the summer, and 34 readers never missed a week. Students could check out five books that came with a journal sheet where they could write their responses to what they were reading - a way to also keep their writing skills in shape.
And it wasn’t just kids who came for books.
“It was parents, too,” said Cowdrick. “And a lot of our students speak English as a second language, so we’ve increased our bilingual supply this year.”
Marty Plemmons, property manager for Rick Case Duluth, said he gets to do “a lot of neat things” in his job, but this summer’s assignment to drive the Chesney bookmobile is one of his favorites.
“What’s really neat is that the adults have asked if they can check out books, too,” he said. “I get to load up the books and drive to two apartment complexes, and I’m excited and pumped to do it. And I’ve got so many people here who want to help, too. Even my wife wants to come along!”
Information about the Chesney Champion Bookmobile: chesneyelementary.org.
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