Education department and ACW sponsor book drive
By Elizabeth Cotton
Staff Writer

With the help of Dana Sedersten, visiting instructor of education, and Alpha Chi Omega, the children of the Albion public schools will soon be able to broaden their horizons.

During the first week of February, the sisters of Alpha Chi Omega will have tables set up in the Kellogg Center for a public school book drive.

Sedersten came up with the idea for the drive because the local schools lack a variety of books.

They also lack quantities of the same books which would allow the children to have a common reading experience.

Sederston mentioned that even though the Albion college education majors teach in the public school classrooms, they do not always find ways to give back to the schools in more lasting ways.

Students in the education department wanted to be able to give back to schools in the local area, Sederston said.

“Because my students will be teaching reading in the classrooms in each building this semester, I thought it would be a wonderful gesture to give schools books and teaching units as a token of our appreciation,” Sedersten said.

Sedersten, with the help from others, will select the books for the drive.

The education department will buy the books from Barnes and Noble, said Erica Bachman, Troy senior and member of Alpha Chi Omega.

Albion College students will be able to pick which book they would like to buy. Each student will sign his or her name on a bookplate that will be placed inside the book in order to show who donated it.

Alpha Chi Omega became involved in the public school book drive because the members wanted to participate in a project that would directly benefit the Albion community. “I think we really started thinking about how much the college takes from the community and depends on it,” Bachman said.

“It is nice to feel like you are part of something that is giving back to the people and the community that helps you learn and grow,” she continued.

Alpha Chi Omega hopes to make this book drive an annual event.

“Hopefully in the future we can have more students involved in planning and running the event,” Bachman said. “In the future students might want to get donations from people in their hometowns or surrounding areas. However, for right now we would like all proceeds to be donated to the Albion Community.”

Bachman would like to encourage all students to participate in the public school book drive. “It only takes a few minutes and a few dollars to donate a book,” Bachman said.

“With new and exciting books, students can journey to far away places, better understand who they are and what they value, and develop necessary comprehension skills. [Albion College] students can give a gift that will last forever.”