Books in Spanish needed for West Haven High School library

Ask Jillian Woychowski what she wants and the answer is always, “books!”

That might be an expected answer for a school librarian, but Woychowski is on
a mission to update the print collection at West Haven High School, while making
sure to include the cultures and languages represented by the diverse population
of her student body, including Spanish-speakers. Of the school's students, 34
percent identify as Latino, and many are first-generation Americans.

Woychowski welcomes the donation of new or gently used books, but she also
encourages readers to donate both books and time to their own local school or
public libraries.

Their most needed genres are fiction and memoir (English and Spanish), but
certainly non-fiction focusing on Latino history, culture and contemporary
issues are welcome, too.

"All of our new memoirs in Spanish have been added to the collection," Woychowski
said on her Donors Choose page. "I am so happy this was right at the time
our senior English classes will start checking out individual memoirs to read
after reading When I Was Puerto Rican in their classes."

Her student reading level ranges from about fourth grade to Advanced
Placement/College.

Last school year, she
obtained 10 novels in Spanish through Donors Choose, which sit above her
fiction section, marked with a green S to help her English learners find them.
She’s currently adding several memoirs in Spanish from the same program. At West
Haven High School, all seniors in English IV are required to read a memoir.

Woychowski says she’s long identified herself as a “walking United Nations”
of ethnic heritages. Add in a brother-in-law from Mexico, another brother-in-law
from the Philippines, and an uncle from Portugal, and she knows the importance
of including other cultures and languages in our everyday world, which of course
includes the libraries.

As schools face budget crunches, library portions are often eaten up by
technology costs, which makes sense in our digital society. But books are still
of vital importance, too! It’s a proven fact that students do better in
literature courses when they see themselves in the stories. For English
learners, having curricular-aligned books to check out in their native language
may be the key to success.

For monetary donations, checks can be written to West Haven High School with
"Library" in the memo line (we have an account through the School Student
Activity Fund). Donations are tax deductible.

For more information, call Diane Taylor at the library, 203-937-4360
extension 7317, or email jillian.woychowski@whschools.org.
Packages can be sent to WHHS, McDonough Plaza, West Haven, CT 06516.