Over the span of the second and third quarter, the junior class has been making children’s books for elementary school students. The high schoolers got paired with an elementary school buddy at either Park Elementary or Brooklyn Park elementary. Then, in fall they visited their elementary scholar that they had been paired with, with the purpose of getting to know them and find out what they like. Using what they had learned about the students, the juniors made a personalized children’s book by hand for their buddy. On March 13th students went to Park Elementary to deliver their books to the kids and on March 24th students did the same at Brooklyn Park Elementary.

“I enjoyed bringing the inner world of my kid to life; my book was centered around my kid building things, so it was really fun to design buildings that a kindergartener would build and integrate fantasy elements such as dinosaurs into the whole project,” junior Jocelyn Renn said. In order to create books that the children would enjoy, high schoolers got to know the children through questions about their favorite animals, colors, shows, movies, hobbies, and more. This information was integrated into the book to make it tailored to the child’s interest.

Students went back to the elementary schools after finishing the children’s books to give them to the children and spend more time with their buddy. These books had at least ten pages of quality drawings and stories for the children to enjoy and take home.

“I enjoyed being able to connect with the kid I was partnered with, it was awesome to get to know him and make something for him that he liked,” junior Quinlyn Bary said. The juniors also spent time with the elementary schoolers in their classes when they visited, doing various activities such as reading books, playing games, coloring, going out to recess, and eating lunch together. The service learning project was an excellent opportunity to make a positive difference on young children’s lives by giving them attention and spending time with them.