McKinley students share joy of reading

February 3, 2023 Jaime DeJesus

McKinley students cut the ribbon for the Little Free Library. Eagle Urban Media/Photos by Arthur De Gaeta

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Students at I.S. 259 William McKinley cut the ribbon for the school’s Little Free Library Jan. 11.

Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann and Laurie Windsor, representing U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, were on hand to congratulate the kids and faculty.

“Reading is important, and through our Little Free Library, we encourage equity for everyone to enjoy a book at their leisure,” said Principal Janice Geary, who credited school librarian Kristen Falco with the idea.

Community Board 10 members joined students and faculty at the ceremony.

“I always had a dream of being in charge of a Little Free Library,” Falco said. “When I was young, I would walk down a particular street in Park Slope where I would drop off books that I was done reading.”

Bonus funds allowed the school to buy 200 books for all ages and in multiple languages.

“We will fill it up to make sure that we have books that are representative of our community,” Falco said.