Rubidoux High School Junior Natalya Fernandez spent several days researching, planning, and completing a rather unusual high school assignment – decorating a free little library for Rustic Lane Elementary School.
"I know they’ll appreciate the colors,” Natalya said of the small, white, blue, and yellow house-shaped cabinet that soon will be filled with donated books for Rustic Lane students to take home and keep.
“It will make it feel more special for them to be able to get books from something that was made specifically for them,” she said. “It makes me feel really good inside, because it reminds me of when I was in elementary school. I would have loved it if anyone else did that for us,” Natalya said. “It’s important to give back to our community because it kind of reminds us where exactly we came from.”
Rubidoux High School teacher Brett Roble and student leaders came up with the idea to create the free little libraries while brainstorming service projects they could take on for Jurupa Unified’s first Week of Service, which took place April 20-25, National Volunteer Week.
“We wanted to collect books. We did a little book drive, and we collected books that we wanted to donate to the elementary schools. We also decided to build a couple of little free libraries that we wanted to deliver to the elementary schools as well.”
Mr. Roble used his carpentry skills to craft the main frames of the cabinets. Students then helped put them together and decorate them. Natalya, known for her artistic skills, was tapped to design the free little library headed to Rustic Lane. A second little library still awaits its new home.
“(Elementary Schools) already have books in their libraries, of course, but with a little free library, you can keep (a book). You don’t have to check it out. You don’t have to return it. You can share it. It becomes a fun little thing for the community,” Mr. Roble said.
“The idea is that it could be something that they have on campus there and we could stock it with books to start off, and then hopefully over time it's something that they can enjoy and grows with the campus.”
Mr. Roble noted that all of his students enjoyed working on the project.
“Anytime we can do these projects where they can do something real and tangible that makes them feel like they made a difference in their community, it's huge. The idea is that you give these kids a taste of it and then once they get out there in real life, it’s something that they would pursue on their own.”
“We can’t fix everything, but we can do something, and with our efforts, we can make someone’s life better,” Mr.Roble said. “Their individual efforts can make a difference in people’s lives.”
Natalya hopes that she is also inspiring younger students coming up behind her to give back to their communities.
“It gives more opportunities for kids to actually look at you as role models, and probably take on these projects themselves, therefore continuing the cycle.”
“It’s really important that we just connect and just be unified,” she said. “It’s really important that we do service like this.”
Service Leaders in Bloom
On a cloud-covered Saturday morning, a group of Ina Arbuckle Elementary students set out on foot with one goal in mind: to make someone's day a little sunnier.
“They wanted to create a project that was outside the box (and) give back to the community.” Principal Allison Hesler said.
Sixth-graders partnered with younger students to decorate flower pots, plant them with beautiful flowers, and write cards that they hand-delivered during Saturday School to a local care facility.
“Partnering up the younger students with the older students has created a community within our school,” Ms. Hesler said. “It’s teaching them that they can give back even within our own school. Our bigger picture is going outside our school walls.“
The project was in celebration of Earth Day and Jurupa Unified School District’s Week of Service, in which the students do their part in giving back to the community and practice eco-friendly activities. The students also picked up trash along their path.
“It’s important to include our elementary students in this at a young age because it fosters the idea that giving back can happen throughout your whole life,” Ms. Hesler said. ”They are not too young to give back and to show that we care about our community as a whole.”
Sixth-grade teacher Cindy Espinal said the project also showed students that small acts of kindness are significant, and they can start now.
“It encourages them that it doesn't matter how old you are, you can always make an impact in your local community.” Ms. Espinal said.
Students felt the impact firsthand.
“When you start at a young age… you learn more about that, and you want to start doing that even more, and that boosts your courage and participation,” Victoria Ramirez, a sixth grader at Indian Hills Elementary, said.
“It makes me feel amazing because then I can give back… and something I made is going to someone else (who) will enjoy (it),” Victoria said.
In addition to their kindness and generosity, students learned about leadership and initiation.
“I think it's important because it shows the little kids that you can help in the world and be a leader,” sixth grader Kenza Monette said.
From writing kind messages to planting flowers, picking up trash, and making someone’s day, students learned that small actions can reach far beyond the classroom.
“We’re hoping this inspires them as they grow older, (that) they remember this event, and they say, ‘we can do this, and we can make it bigger, and we can maybe reach out to other communities, not just ours.’” Ms. Espinal said.
