Hoffman Middle Celebrates Reading Garden and Little Free Library

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Hoffman Middle School celebrated National Library Week with a campus reading garden and little free library ribbon-cutting ceremony, on April 9.  

Earlier this year, the campus received a Donors Choose grant for a Little Free Library. The Little Free Library project is the world’s largest book-sharing initiative. The nonprofit’s goal is to build community, inspire readers, expand book access to all, and most importantly encourage a love of reading. Hoffman’s miniature library will contain a variety of books, written by a diverse group of authors. Additionally, it is the first Little Free Library in Aldine ISD. 

The new Reading Garden will allow students, families, and the campus community to cultivate culture with literacy. The library sits in front of the campus and is accessible to the community during daylight. The campus hopes the library will encourage students and families to spend time learning and reading outdoors. The campus literacy efforts echo the district’s goal of ensuring students get the support they need in literacy. 

To beautify the space around the Little Free Library, the campus received a grant from the Neo Project and Healthy Outdoor Communities (HOC). HOC promotes equitable access to nature and green space to fight against health disparities in urban communities. The grant provided the campus with flowers, rocks, soil, reading gnomes, and an outdoor bench. 

The intimate ceremony was attended by English Language Arts students on campus and at home, district leaders, and representatives from Healthy Outdoor Communities. During the ceremony, Hoffman Middle School principal, Jeana Morrison-Adams, welcomed guests and introduced the campus information literacy specialist (librarian), William Schaller. Schaller expressed his excitement to offer a new opportunity to share his love of reading with the Hoffman students and the Acres Homes community. He then read aloud Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You written by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. 

After reading, Schaller was presented with a special certificate acknowledging his work to encourage a love of reading at Hoffman Middle School and beyond. 

“I’m excited students will be able to share stories and books with their siblings, families, and the community,” Schaller explained. “I look forward to watching this project grow bigger, better, and more beautiful.” 

The reading garden will be kept clean and weeded by the science classes and the campus Leadership Officer Training Corps (LOTC) program.