About Us: In 2008, a group of students from the Brookline High School club Student Action for Justice and Education (SAJE) formed a committee dedicated to promoting literacy in places where books aren’t as easily accessible. We connected with the Emerson Elementary School and joined them on their quest to build a school library. We are now helping them by organizing books drives and fundraising events. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with your questions or comments, and thank you for your support. Students: Nadya Karpova Sarah Plovnick Kira Simon Lesly Suriel Advisor: Roger Grande The Emerson Library Partnership There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island. ~Walt Disney~ Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. ~ W. Fusselman ~ Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life. ~ Mortimer J. Adler ~ There is no substitute for books in the life of a child. ~ Mary Ellen Chase ~ A mural from the Emerson School

In Brookline, children are exposed to books as soon as they are born. Every school has a library, and there are public libraries in every neighborhood. Kids in Brookline have an abundance of opportunities to learn from books. The students at the Emerson School in Roxbury don’t have those opportunities. For many students, the only libraries they know of consist of three shelves of books in the corners of some classrooms. Many students don’t speak English. During the after school program, students do their homework in the cafeteria. A school library will give students at Emerson the quiet and supportive atmosphere they need to do homework or to learn a new language. It will give students new opportunities, so they can grow up with the knowledge that they need to be successful. How You Can Help:  Clean out your bookshelves and donate new or gently used books appropriate for kids ages 4-11  Buy new books for the Emerson School for an 8 percent discount at the Brookline Booksmith in Coolidge Corner A classroom library at Emerson. These are the only libraries they have. About Emerson:  Many students at the Emerson School come from Cape Verde, where they speak Creole and learn to read and write in Portuguese. They then come to the U.S. and have to learn English.  Students are required to take the MCAS, even if they have been in the U.S. for less than a year. Because of language barriers, many students struggle to pass. The Emerson School wants to:  Fill their classroom libraries with books  Fill bookshelves in their hallways with books  Raise money so they can add a room to their school that will function as a library They can’t do it alone! A mural in the Emerson School cafeteria  The only libraries that students have access to are the small classroom libraries at school. Many don’t have books at home, and many have never been inside a public library.  The Emerson School almost closed down due to Boston’s budget issues but the principal was able to save it by showing how important the school is to her students and herself. An Emerson School classroom