Students at Garth Webb Secondary School in Oakville have transformed their lockers into a 'bookshelf' to encourage reading and showcase diverse voices.
The school placed vinyl adhesive book spines onto lockers, creating what appears to be a gigantic bookshelf. Students were surveyed on which books they would like to see displayed on the school’s lockers. The whole process took approximately six months to complete.
“Our title choices were guided by student feedback, and we also involved tech students in the installation of the designs,” says Christine Zinken, teacher at Garth Webb SS and the bookshelf project lead. “The selection of titles is a mix of books we read here at Garth Webb SS, some student favourites, and an effort to honour diverse voices.”
“The locker bookshelf initiative makes a beautiful addition to our school community, especially because it highlights several books that feature traditionally marginalized voices," says Abi Akinlade, Grade 12 student at Garth Webb SS. Abi suggested that Children of Blood and Bone, a young adult fantasy novel by Nigerian-American novelist Tomi Adeyemi, be included in the locker bookshelf.
The school hopes the bookshelf project inspires students to read and enables them to discover new favourites from this giant bookshelf.
“The project brought us all together to promote reading, value student voice, and celebrate authors and subjects that showcase a variety of perspectives,” adds Zinken. “It has been wonderful hearing students in the hallway discussing different titles and choosing new titles to read next."
