By: Andrew Maglio

Conard Courant Book Drive 2021: A Recap

 

From January 25th to February 19th, The Conard Courant held a school-wide book drive. Like many other activities this year, the Conard Courant was forced to adjust their plans for the annual book drive after the pandemic put a stop to large gatherings. (Usually, the Courant would collect books at the choir, band, and orchestra winter music concerts).

 

The Courant believed that the best way to reach the most students—while also not relying on groups to gather—would be to distribute collection boxes to each of the school’s English teachers, since students would already be attending those classes. Many teachers informed their students of the event, and it was a fixture of school announcements for its duration. The Conard Courant (@theconarcourant) and some other individuals and institutions posted about the event on their social media accounts to further spread the word.

 

This year, donations benefited the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), an organization “...dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all,” according to their mission statement.

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In total, well over two dozen bags/boxes of books were collected with donations from across Conard. The books ranged in genre and lexile, testifying to the diverse interests of Conard readers, and creating a better assortment for the YWCA, which has programs from the elementary to high school level. Classics like the Hobbit were among the dozens of books collected, but a number of more niche novels also appeared in the cardboard collection boxes.

 

Conard Courant Editor-in-Chief Ethan Mathieu described the event as follows: “We were happy to be of use to the community and help use our platform to lift others up. The drive went smoothly. We had high expectations of the Conard Community, but even what they were able to put together was shocking, and the YWCA seemed grateful for all the donations the Conard Community brought them.”

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Already, the Courant is looking towards the future to expand on these book drives. They are an effective way to serve the greater community and repurpose never-read or gently-used books.

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And finally, we would like to thank everyone who contributed or generally spread the word! Without you, this could not have been possible.