Jackson Middle School staff members recently went on a field trip to Graham Road Elementary to visit classrooms and hand-deliver a gift-wrapped book for each student.

After delivering the books, Jackson staff were treated to a thank-you reception organized by Graham Road’s principal, Lauren Badini. Jackson principal Mike Magliola came up with the idea, planning the event to tie in the concepts of gratitude and giving back to the community. He secured funding from Jackson’s partner, Dewberry, to purchase 450 books.

All of the students at Jackson worked in small groups to wrap the books, and each book was addressed to a specific student at Graham Road. Graham Road reading teacher Liz Feller-Howard and Graham Road instructional coach Julie Tillman collaborated with Jenny Betten, a Jackson librarian, to create a list of titles to purchase. Graham Road staff then determined which title would best fit the needs of each student. Magliola hopes to pick a different feeder school for the book giveaway each year. He also hopes that current Graham Road students will eventually become Jackson Middle students and will participate in this activity on a regular basis.