Pinellas County Schools
What better way to celebrate National Reading Month than to give the gift of reading to those in need? The Hollins High Literacy Team did exactly that earlier this month with a donation of 600 books to ReadStrong Pinellas. It was the latest installment of an annual book drive that began four years ago.
In 2019 Teresa Zemaitis, the literacy team’s faculty sponsor, shared a story of a former student who lived in a group home and enjoyed reading books to the younger kids. But because the home had a limited number of books, the student read the same ones over and over.
Two of the team’s most recent book drives targeted childrens’ group homes specifically. This year the team wanted to make more of an impact throughout the county. ReadStrong is a collaborative project to reach readers of all ages and provide resources for reading to parents and caregivers.
Team members set up collection boxes around the school and asked students and staff to donate new and gently used books. The collection concluded the first week of March when the team, including President David Andino, helped load hundreds of books into the vehicles of ReadStrong Pinellas representatives in front of the school.
Wondering how Hollins High got its name? Pinellas historian James Schnur delves into the history of Hollins High, former schools superintendent Dixie Hollins, and the integration of South Pinellas schools. Here’s part one of his multi-part series, “Bogie, Bradley, and Busing.”
