Venture High students help with Jingle Books
<p>Greta Gissel applauds as Venture High School sophomore Chastin Raper presents a $200 donation to Coeur d'Alene School District Trustee Dave Eubanks on Monday. Raper worked with students like Bryce Hayes (pictured in background) to make coffee to sell to classmates and staff at the school and donated all of the proceeds to the district's Jingle Books Program. </p>
COEUR d'ALENE - This year's Jingle Books donation drive is off to a great start thanks to the efforts of students at Venture High School.
On Monday, two students presented Jingle Books organizers with $200 in donations that came from a student-organized coffee sale. Jingle Books is an annual book drive held by the Coeur d'Alene School District with the goal of providing one book to each child at each of the district's 10 elementary schools.
"This is one of the finest schools in the district," Dave Eubanks, district trustee, said at the presentation. "This school really rocks."
Venture sophomore Chastin Raper and junior Bryce Hayes presented the check to Eubanks in front of a packed cafeteria during the school's lunch period. After the presentation, Hayes told The Press that after last year's drive, students at the school thought they could earn money for even more books by selling coffee.
"It was a good feeling knowing we donated that much money," Hayes said.
Last year, the drive received 15,462 books from the community and provided three books to each student. Eubanks said this year's goal is 20,000 books.
"That will allow us to give five books to every kindergarten through third-grade class in the district," Eubanks said. "It's such a huge deal to be able to get books in the hands of kids and it's an even bigger deal when they get to pick the books out themselves."
Eubanks added that Venture High School students donated 400 books to the Jingle Books program last year, the most books-per-student in the entire district.
"It's great seeing them come out and support this program that promotes literacy among the little ones," Eubanks said.
The school district is taking monetary and book donations at the District 271 office, 1400 N. Northwood Center Court, Coeur d'Alene, ID, 83814.