Student Spotlight: Elsie Johnson '26

During her time cross-age teaching, senior Elsie Johnson ’26 recognized the importance of childhood literacy. Her desire to make books more accessible to all students, led her to volunteer with Children Read Atlanta, a local non-profit dedicated to improving reading skills of children by providing them with books of their own before they reach kindergarten. As Elsie prepares to lead her third book drive at Paideia benefitting Children Read, she reflects on our community’s love of learning, how it has influenced the success of the drive and the impact reading has on a child’s life.

 

My love for community service began through a cross-age teaching elective during my sophomore year of high school. Through this experience, I became curious about why some families faced barriers that others never encountered and how these obstacles correlated with children’s success in school. This interest sparked a deep passion for childhood literacy as a way to address inequities. I learned that 61% of low-income families have no children’s books at home, and many children start school at a disadvantage. 

That year, I began volunteering with Children Read Atlanta, a local nonprofit organization committed to providing picture books to pre-school children in Title I schools. Often, children attending these schools struggle to access consistent meals, much less books of their own to read. My volunteer work at Children Read started with restoring and organizing donated used books. As I became more involved, I began delivering books to the pre-K classrooms to read aloud to the children and for them to take home. 

These volunteer experiences made me want to do more to support Children Read, so I ran my first book drive spring of my sophomore year, collecting almost 700 books from our Paideia community. My junior year, Club Children Read was born. I knew from attending Paideia's Elementary school, and later in my cross-age teaching elective, that the school inspires a love of books and learning, with many parents reinforcing the importance of reading at home. Paideia families value books, reading and community service, so I was confident the club would succeed. I started Club Children Read to raise awareness of the importance of children's access to literacy and inspire my classmates to get involved in this important cause. My 35 member club runs an annual book drive for Children Read, collecting nearly 2,000 books to date. We also recruit volunteers to help clean and restore used books. 

Now, my senior year, and my final year running this club, I am proud of how much Paideia has done for Children Read and the greater Atlanta community. Our annual book drive has just begun and we hope to raise even more books than last year, thanks to a partnership with the Paideia Elementary Library. Through volunteering in classrooms, I have seen firsthand the impact that books can have and what these donations mean to children. Just one picture book can make a meaningful difference in a child's life, and even a single donation can have a lasting impact. 

If you are interested in helping Children Read, please consider sorting through your bookshelf for any underused picture books. Used books will be cleaned, repaired and donated. Books can be dropped off in the donation bin in Python Hall. Contact Elsie Johnson with any questions.