Spirit Team collects thousands of books for hurricane-damaged school

Fort Washington Elementary School in neighboring Upper Dublin School District has been closed since Hurricane Ida damaged the building in early September. Plymouth Elementary’s (PE) Spirit Team in the Colonial School District offered to help the Upper Dublin school rebuild its library through a book drive during the month of October.

“It’s important, because they lost all of their stuff, and we want to give them new stuff,” said PE third grader Gabriella Gunning.

The students collected more than 2,000 books during the drive. “I brought in Dog Man books,” said Jake Neville, a PE third grader. “Dav Pilkey’s a good author. They’re funny books.”

The children worked together to sort them by age level and carefully checked each item’s condition. “We’re making sure there aren’t any drawings, ripped pages, creases or tears in the cover,” said PE third grader Jamie Quinn.

The Spirit Team, made up of third grade student volunteers, looks for ways to give back to the school and community. The book drive is the first of those efforts this year. “It makes me feel happy, because I’m doing something good for other people,” added Gabriella.

For November, the Spirit Team is running a bullying prevention campaign that reminds students to treat others with kindness.