Re-living memories and building a future at the Scholastic Book Fair
Photo courtesy of staff editor Neveline Garwood
Growing up in the 2000’s was a time that the majority of college students look back on lovingly. One of the greatest collective memories of this era was the Scholastic Book Fair. Everyone who has attended a book fair remembers that exciting expedition to the local elementary school’s library or cafeteria, usually with a couple of dollars in their pencil case to spend. Last week, to my surprise, I saw a poster for the book fair in the MacVitte College Union lobby on my daily trip to Starbucks. Immediately, I was overcome with curiosity, wondering why a mostly child-centered event would be taking place on a college campus.
I had the opportunity to interview Lily Herman, a member of Geneseo’s Elementary and Secondary Education Association (ESEA), to learn more about the book fair. The ESEA is responsible for bringing back this nostalgic event after another, now-defunct club stopped running it two years ago. Lily informed me that the fair was not just a walk down memory lane for college students, as I had originally thought, but instead a way for education students to get supplies. The ESEA advertised the event around campus with posters and flyers, as well as on their Instagram page @esea.geneseo.
I was able to stop by the fair on Tuesday, Feb. 17 to see the setup in the College Union’s Ballroom Lounge. Scholastic's classic colors of yellow and red were prominently displayed on patterned tablecloths and brightly colored signs. I indulged in a nostalgic experience, scanning shelves and getting excited all over again by Pokémon guidebooks, classic classroom reads, posters, stationery sets, and squishy pens.
It was surprising to learn that hosting a Scholastic Book Fair is both free and easy with the assistance of the information on their website at bookfairs.scholastic.com . After doing this, the ESEA set up the fair on its own. The book fair is a treat for nostalgic college students, education majors searching for supplies, and local teachers, but its impact lasts far beyond the running time of the event. In hosting the fair, the ESEA will earn part of the fair’s revenue to spend on the Scholastic Book Fair catalog. According to Lily, the ESEA will be taking this opportunity to buy books and donate them to people and organizations in need. Scholastic’s website states that “Book Fairs with $3,800 or more in revenue earn 50% in Scholastic Dollars.” If you purchased anything at the fair here on campus, you helped the ESEA work towards its charitable cause, potentially without knowing.
For education students, the book fair is a wonderful way to become familiar with popular classroom authors and series, as well as to build their future classroom libraries. Upon attending the fair, there was also the opportunity to network with alumni of SUNY Geneseo who found success in their educational career paths. The book fair could be a very successful way for future educators to bridge the gap between their career and learning in a classroom setting.
No matter whose perspective you look at the Scholastic Book Fair from, it is clearly beneficial to the education community and to students who simply want to be reminded of their childhood. With the hard work and support of the ESEA, the book fair is planned to return to campus next year. If you are interested in supporting the company, future educators, and those in need of donations, stop by! Even if you only buy a pack of stickers, you will be assisting in supporting a network of educators and children alike.