Herrick helps West Ottawa elementary, middle schoolers put their own books on the shelves

Mitchell Boatman, Holland Sentinel
·2 min read
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HOLLAND TWP. — A recent collaboration between Herrick District Library, local schools and the NEA Big Read Lakeshore has resulted in several new books on Herrick’s shelves — written by local students.

Herrick recently completed its second annual North Branch Story Project to celebrate young authors. As part of the project, author Jerry Craft visited and the library worked closely with several classes of students to create their own books.

Nine elementary and middle school classrooms in West Ottawa Public Schools participated. They read either Craft’s book “New Kid,” the featured title for the Middle Read Lakeshore, or Amanda Gorman’s “Change Sings,” the title for the Little Read Lakeshore, then worked together to write a collaborative story or anthology.

A recent collaboration between Herrick District Library, local schools and the NEA Big Read Lakeshore has resulted in several new books on Herrick’s shelves — written by local students.
A recent collaboration between Herrick District Library, local schools and the NEA Big Read Lakeshore has resulted in several new books on Herrick’s shelves — written by local students.

Those books are now available for checkout at Herrick and in school libraries around West Ottawa.

“I loved how we got to read ‘New Kid’ and write our own book,” said Lakewood Elementary fifth-grader Alaina Feller. “It was also cool that we got to meet Jerry Craft and sign autographs at the library. This was a very hands-on and inspiring experience and a great way to get kids interested in reading and writing.”

West Ottawa students recently took part in the North Branch Story Project through Herrick District Library.
West Ottawa students recently took part in the North Branch Story Project through Herrick District Library.

The project culminated in an event Thursday, Nov. 30, when students and families gathered to celebrate and sign autographs in their new books.

“Getting to have their own books signed after they watched Jerry sign his bestselling books was so impactful," said elementary teacher Casey Wollenzier.

HDL Librarian Adrienne Baker met with many of the classrooms over the course of the fall semester to work with them on writing and formatting their projects.

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“We are grateful for the teachers who saw value in this endeavor and added this project to their already bountiful plates,” Baker said.

The project was funded in part by a grant from Michigan Humanities.

— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Herrick helps elementary, middle schoolers put their own books on the shelves