Students to Grant Wish for Books

Imagine wishing for a bunch of flowers and receiving an entire garden instead. That’s how the children and staff at Our Lady of Guadalupe School feel about the 4,000 books that have been collected for them by students at Chaminade College Preparatory campuses in Chatsworth and West Hills. The students and other volunteers will deliver 50 boxes of books Thursday to the Los Angeles parish school, under the auspices of Bookends, a West Hills nonprofit organization that provides books and develops libraries for underprivileged children.

“We’re eagerly anticipating their arrival,” Principal Roberta Ruiz said about the book enthusiasts who will set up mini-libraries in each of the Catholic school’s classrooms. “It’s like Christmas. Each teacher provided a wish list, so it’ll be fun to see what’s inside.”

They probably won’t be disappointed. Bookends founder Robin Keefe said the stacks of donated books, all in good condition, should include something for children at every reading level.

“This is a very simple concept, really,” Keefe said. “We’re recycling children’s books. Those who donate them create room on their shelves for new books, and those who receive them get the pleasure of reading too.”

Bookends was the brainchild of Robin Keefe’s 13-year-old son, Brandon, who five years ago asked his third-grade teacher if he could organize a book drive to help the students at a residential care facility for abused kids in Hollywood.

About 19,000 books later, Bookends boasts 3,000 student volunteers, who will develop five libraries by June.

Brandon’s efforts won him a 1998 distinguished finalist medallion in the Prudential Insurance Co.’s Spirit of Community Awards, a nationwide recognition program.

“Brandon’s [book drives] have helped kids to raise their consciousness levels about kids who are in need,” said Oak Park’s Red Oak Elementary School Principal Jeff Hamlin, whose students will deliver books to a Los Angeles elementary school for Bookends later this month. “No matter how old you are, you can get an idea and watch it grow.”

“There are so many people needing books, so I pitch a different idea for a book drive each time, and that keeps this project fresh,” Brandon said. “I love helping people get books to read. There’s nothing better than that.”

KUDOS

Top Honor: Carol Paxton, associate instructor of mathematics at Glendale Community College, will be honored with the 12th annual Distinguished Faculty Award at a luncheon next week. The veteran educator and La Crescenta resident joined the college staff in 1989 and currently serves as an academic senator, among other posts. Paxton received a Distinguished Faculty Award in 1991 and a Scholar’s Teacher of Distinction Award in 1996 and 1998.

Good Chemistry: Antelope Valley College student Lisa Trejo of Lancaster recently received one of 200 American Chemical Society college scholarships awarded to minority students nationwide who are interested in pursuing careers in chemistry.

Athletes Honored: Three Viewpoint School athletes picked up California Interscholastic Federation awards recently. Thomas Kubler, 16, a cross-country competitor; Darby Stern, 16, a noted volleyball player, and Sherwin Shilati, 17, a football halfback, received federation certificates recognizing their athletic achievements. The students also received plaques from the Calabasas school.

*

Class Notes appears every Wednesday. Send news about schools to the Valley Edition, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Or fax it to (818) 772-3338. Or e-mail them to diane.wedner@latimes.com.