The district schools received a grant to fund One Book, One District, which was co-funded by each of the district school’s PTAs and PTOs. The program connected all schools and students in District 39 through one common book.
The book, Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham, addresses how much the outside world has changed because of the pandemic, but what is inside our homes and inside our hearts has grown. The goal of the program was to unite all students in the District through a shared story and supporting activities, including a virtual author visit, access to the physical book as well as E-books, and an innovative story walk at each of the six schools.
One Book, One District was awarded the AISLE Innovative School Library Program. The Awards Committee recognized One Book, One District “as an excellent example of a program that has a measurable, positive impact on its participants, the school learning community, as well as the larger community.