“It’s very important for children to read,” said Salem High School student Samantha Newman, “and to have their own books to love and cherish like we did when we were kids. So we thought it would be good to provide the opportunity.”

Members of the high school’s National Honor Society (NHS) provided more than 1,000 opportunities for Bettie F. Williams Elementary School students, collecting that many books during a recent book drive at Salem.

Salem’s NHS encouraged teachers and students to donate a book they especially loved from their own childhood. The goal was to place at least one book in every student’s hands at the elementary school, a goal the honor society far surpassed.

Salem students recently took the books they collected to Williams and set up a book fair in the library. The excited young readers were able to browse the vast collection and select a book for themselves and for siblings.

See more from Salem’s book fair at Williams in this video.