Community Voice: The Newsletter of Manzanita Community School (Summer 2013 Edition)

Library Inspires Culture of Reading on Campus

A proud reader in the MCS Library

When Renae Wilber arrives at 8 AM to open the Manzanita Community School library, kids are already there waiting. When she walks the halls throughout the day, students rush up to ask when the latest installment of Diary of a Wimpy Kid will be available. And even when she wakes up in the middle of the night, she's still in the role of school librarian. "Sometimes," Wilber says, "I'll wake up at 4 AM thinking, 'I know where I can find that book a student asked me about!'"

Wilber would have it no other way. "These kids mean so much to me," she says. "I'm so grateful to be here at Manzanita Community School and have this opportunity to support our students' love for reading."

"You never know what you're going to experience when you read a book," says 3rd-grader Jasmine, "and we have so many to choose from now. Ms. Renae helps us find the ones we like."

"Ms. Renae's awesome," concurs 3rd-grader Damani. "She picks out wonderful books for us. It's important for us to read a lot so we can learn different things in different books and take our reading levels higher and higher."

MCS students enjoying their favorite book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid

When asked about what kind of stories they would write, if they were authors, 3rd-grader Kevin has this to share: "The heroes of my story would be Ms. Renae, my teacher Ms. Lucas, and our principal, Ms. Spencer. I'm saying this because they all work hard every day to help us be better students."

Wilber loves the way students have taken ownership of their learning in the library. "On Day one, I told them, 'This is your library," she says, "and they took me at my word and just ran with it. They're so grateful for the library and this shows in how compassionately they act, sharing books and helping each other. I feel so honored to be a part of this library and this school!"

Touring the World a Classroom at a Time

Every year on Passport Day, Manzanita Community School becomes Manzanita Community World, with every classroom transforming into a different country, from Thailand to Scotland to Afghanistan to South Africa (to name just a few!).

Students become both travelers and hosts, moving from room to room and immersing themselves in the culture, cuisine, art, and attire unique to the countries recreated by each class. The school's elders, our 4th- and 5th-graders, assume the role of tour guides and "passport agents," giving them the responsibility of looking after younger students. "Taking responsibility for the younger kids is a great leadership opportunity for our older students," says Manzanita Community School teacher Allison Stormont. "We see older kids helping kindergarteners find their backpacks or jackets and walking them to the bathroom. It's great for community building."

"I was a helper this year," says 5th-grader Benjamin. "It was kind of hard -- you can see what it's like to be a teacher!"

"It's rewarding for us to see kids so engaged," reflects Stormont. "They get really excited by the countries they learn about, and talk about wanting to visit them when they're older. They become a little more worldly, that's really our hope."

In Afghanistan during Passport Day

"We get to go to places and learn about other countries like Egypt and Ghana," says 3rd-grader Makalah. "In Canada," says 3rd-grader Josiah, "we learned about a painter and I really liked his paintings because they were like Kandinsky."

"It's good because when you grow up and want to visit these other countries, you'll already know a little about them," explains Makalah. "Also, it can help you get to know other kids at our school who might be from the countries we visit on Passport Day."

At the end of their world tour, every student's passport book is full of stamps, and their "luggage" is filled with regional arts and craft pieces they made in different rooms. For students like Benjamin, the annual tradition sticks with them and is one they won't soon forget. "I've been to six Passport Days now, ever since I was a kindergartener! I've visited so many countries, and I'm really glad our school has Passport Day every year."

Students visiting China on Passport Day

Support Our Young Readers and Travelers!

In a state that spends roughly $3,000 less per student than the national average, public schools like ours must raise money to continue giving our students the opportunities they deserve, such as a fully stocked library and materials to host events like Passport Day.

Please consider a tax-deductible donation to support our programs!

You can donate online here (designating "Manzanita Community School") or by mail to: "OSF/MCS," PO Box 27148, Oakland, CA 94602.

Thank you for your support!