U City High School Students to ‘Serve U’ on Sept. 11

Eleven years ago, the students who now make up the classes of 2013 through 2016 were just infants or toddlers.

For them, as the tragic attacks of Sept. 11 unfolded before a watching world, child’s play was still the order of the day.

Now these young people are part of the University City High School’s Community Service Team known as “Serve U.” The group is sponsoring a book drive as part of a larger effort inspired by United We Serve, a nationwide service initiative that aims to inspire volunteers to develop charitable “do it yourself” projects.

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, people all over the country will volunteer as a way to honor the victims, survivors and those who served in response to the attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people on this same day in 2001.

Serve U volunteers will meet at 2:45 p.m. on Sept. 11 at the high school to sort and deliver donated books.

The books will benefit the “Take It Libraries” that are strategically placed throughout the and city. As the name suggests, anyone can take books from Take It Libraries to have and enjoy, free of charge.

The Take It Libraries are the brainchild of Ellen Bern, the former school board member, who has led the initiative for five years.

“This win-win program helps our kids become better readers, helps families clean out their own bookshelves, and costs nothing,” Bern said. “Even our bookshelves were donated.”

Linda Pritchard, A+ and student community service coordinator at UCHS, is responsible for organizing the book drive under the United We Serve umbrella. She said it is just one of many service opportunities that she will spearhead this year.

“This is going to be a great way to raise awareness that community service is a high priority at the high school and throughout the district,” she said. “This also promotes our ongoing district literacy mission.”

For more information or to volunteer to help sort and distribute books, please contact Linda Pritchard at lpritchard@ucityschools.org or 314-290-4100.