Jasper High School senior collecting books for impoverished school
My education is incredibly valuable to me and I have had a love for books since I was a little girl. They have each had an immeasurably significant impact on my personal development and opened so many doors that would have been otherwise unattainable. In our community, I am given the privilege to prioritize pursuing academics and my extracurricular involvement but the children on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation aren’t given the same opportunity. Reagan Book
Reagan Book, a senior at Jasper High School, is holding a book drive to support an impoverished elementary school library on a Native American Reservation in South Dakota.
Inspired by her grandmother, Paula Book, who has been providing resources to the Chemawah Indian School in Salem, Oregon, Reagan has taken it upon herself to provide books for the Crazy Horse Elementary School on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
“Through her introducing me to the need for equitable education for Native people, I was able to do my own research become exposed to how urgently schools on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation need help,” Reagan explained.
The Pine Ridge Reservation encompasses Oglala Lakota County. Of the 3,143 counties in the United States, Oglala Lakota County has the lowest per capita income ($8,768) in the country, and ranks as the “poorest” county in the nation. As such, the reservation’s school system is greatly underfunded which means students’ educational opportunities are limited.
“Crazy Horse Elementary School is located on Pine Ridge Reservation, the poorest reservation in the United States, and their library requires additional books to meet a volume capable of providing accessible educational opportunities to students,” said Reagan. “My goal is to equip the school’s library with enough books to successfully support all of its students.”
According to Reagan, Native American students face severe educational disparity and typically perform two to three grade levels behind their non-Native peers by the time they enter middle school.
“Pine Ridge has almost four times the national poverty rate (56 percent), and is riddled with financial, health, and social issues that run into their school system,” she said. “Only 1-2 percent of students perform at grade-level proficiency in English and reading subjects, but this is inevitable when their school libraries are suffering, and they have limited access to resources essential to their educational growth.”
For Reagan, expanding the library at Crazy Horse Elementary School is a natural combination of her desire to help others–an important family value–and a personal passion for books and the value of growth opportunities education can provide.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to place the same emphasis on their learning and education that I do, and I want to do what I can to make this possible for less advantaged students,” she said.
The drive is collecting books in good-condition suitable for elementary and middle school aged students. It will run from September 23 through October 14, and books can be dropped off at the Jasper, Ferdinand, Dubois, and Huntingburg Public Libraries.
Any books collected will be shipped directly to Crazy Horse Elementary School. Monetary donations will be used to purchase books from a wishlist developed by the school’s students and teachers as well as books by Native American authors to further support Native American careers.
Reagan’s parents are Chris and Chrissy Book and she has two siblings, her twin, Carson and a younger brother, Parker. Reagan is also a member of the JHS and JAWS swim teams and serves as a member of Jasper Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council and the Dubois County CARES Youth Leadership Team. She was recently named a 2024 National Merit Semifinalist.
