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Book Donations Benefit Elementary School Plagued by Mold

WHITE DEER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Many school districts in our area got off to a late start this year due to mold inside the schools. Some teachers lost everythi...

WHITE DEER TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Many school districts in our area got off to a late start this year due to mold inside the schools. Some teachers lost everything from inside their classrooms, but students from Bloomsburg University are helping restock some of those classrooms with books.

Desmond Shaffer is a fourth grade teacher at White Deer Elementary school near Milton. Like other teachers in this school, he had to replace everything inside his classroom a few months ago.

"Also losing some crucial resources in the curriculum that you would normally be starting off the school year with," Shaffer said.

Milton Area School District was one of the districts in our area that had problems with mold over our wet summer. Many of the classrooms inside White Deer Elementary School had to be stripped of everything inside, including all the books.

"I was sad kind of. I felt bad for Miss Maynard because she didn't have any," said third-grader Addy Hopple.

That's where Bloomsburg University Professor Ruth Kennedy comes in.

"Reading is extremely important in elementary school and having a variety. Different kids are interested in different topics and different genres," said Prof. Kennedy.

Kennedy was contacted by a teacher at White Deer Elementary School who is one of her former students. Kennedy and her students at Bloomsburg University collected around 200 new books and gave them to the school.

"Especially hearing how bare the classrooms were, it's encouraging. They aren't back to where they used to be, but they now have some books to read," Kennedy said.

"My classroom, in particular, got a box of at least 100 books just from them and I know that each classroom got several boxes as well," said Shaffer.

But no one is more excited than the children.

"It makes me happy because it's new books for me to read!"

White Deer Elementary is still in need of new books. You can contact the school at 570-568-6201.

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