Community bands together to get new books to Lumby school

LUMBY – It’s typically pretty quiet at JW Ingils Elementary School in Lumby on a Sunday, but that wasn’t the case on November 22. The school’s gym was bustling with dozens of people from the community working hard. They made decorations to deck out the village for the holiday season.

Although it’s an annual tradition, this year, at the heart of the effort is raising money to buy more books for the town’s only elementary school.

“The money that they are raising will go towards our home reading program that we have,” says school principal Kathy Wickum.

It was the school’s Parent Advisory Council (PAC) that decided to take on what is typically a village-led initiative and turn it into a fundraiser to replace old worn out books and buy some new ones.

“We also would like to try to incorporate new curriculum and new content with aboriginal content because that’s a huge focus in our entire province,” says Wickum.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We also would like to try to incorporate new curriculum and new content with aboriginal content because that's a huge focus in our entire province," says Wickum.

Much of the community has banded together to help promote literacy at the school.

“Right from the loggers bringing the bows down from the bush when they’re up there to the parents in the school getting together,” says Acton.

Even the local RCMP detachment is involved, Cst. Gary McLaughlin started a program called Read With Me and the RCMP.

“What it does is it promotes reading through the ranks of the RCMP, for example, we come in at the beginning of the school year and we promote all the kids in grade one to four to the rank of constable,” says McLaughlin.

Every 25 books read, means a promotion in rank.

“At the end of the year when they read 250 books, they get a ride to school with a police officer,” says McLaughlin.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "At the end of the year when they read 250 books, they get a ride to school with a police officer," says McLaughlin.

The Village of Lumby will be giving the school $2,000 for hand-making 80 holiday swags. Funds much needed by the school.

“We have had cuts to education over time and it is important to try to think more creatively and try to make that dollar stretch a little further,” says Wickum.

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The school is hoping to make this fundraiser an annual tradition.