Checking Out New Collection at School

Sixth-grader Jose Decena loves to read--and now he and his classmates at Horace Mann Elementary School have 3,300 new books to peruse.

“I just think it’s wonderful!” said Jose, 11.

Placing reading as a top priority, the school raised more than $50,000 in state grants and other funds during the past two years to buy new materials.

The new books will help students improve their vocabulary and entice them to read instead of watching television or getting into trouble, said Jose, who volunteers to shelve books in the library.

The school will hold a special ceremony Thursday to celebrate the library’s expanded collection.

The new books replaced outdated ones, some of which had been on the shelves for more than 40 years, said Darlene Gruwell, school librarian.

“It’s very exciting that students can read new books,” Gruwell said. “They’re just so appealing that they’re reading more.”

About 200 students use the library daily and about 1,500 books are checked out each week.

New books range from the popular Junie B. Jones series to biographies of President Clinton, Martin Luther King Jr. and Michelangelo. Materials about individual states (including California), countries and world history and a set of World Book Encyclopedias were also added to the library’s collection, now totaling 11,974 books.

At Thursday’s assembly, Principal Patricia Bales also will announce the school’s new business and community partners: IHOP, International Kiwanis Club, Maciel Realty, Shaw Carpets, Staples, Super Crown Books and Vons.

The partners will participate in activities, including reading to students, giving them career information and explaining how math is used in their businesses.

“There are endless possibilities how these business partnerships can positively affect the future of Horace Mann students,” Bales said.