Trish White, the head of the English Department at Bishop Gibbons High School, has done what many teachers believe is no longer possible.

In Recent Weeks, the Bright Lights Book Project in Alaska helped her revive reading at the school by sending hundreds of recycled books from Alaska. And she has a radical new program for getting her students involved.

Trish gets her students involved right away, first to help open the boxes of books, choose the ones that interest them (the books are contemporary and already in demand), and gives different kinds of rewards to those who read and finish them, including “dress-down” days where they don’t have to wear the school uniform.

She is re-thinking what a library is.

The new readers are entered into a notebook that is already nearly full.

They all keep track of their projects in notebooks. And they talk about them in school and with their parents.

She’s brought reading back to life in the time of Tik-Tok and Instagram.

The students choose their own books from contemporary publications, sign them out, and write about them. It’s spreading. I’ll write more about it, but first, we must get places to put them. An embarrassment of riches. Tik-Tok doesn’t take up any space at all, yet almost all the students are on it.

These are challenging times for a teacher.

So here’s the problem that is stumping me for the time in my school and refugee work.

The school gave away many of its bookcases a while ago, and they don’t have space for new ones. I hope we can help.

(Trisha White, English Department, Bishop Gibbons)

I’m trying to figure out a way to handle this innovatively and inexpensively.

(Trish is also seeking to find Japanese-inspired Manga books (graphic novels for teenagers) which are all the rage in her classes. If you have any used Manga books, she’d love to get some.) She’s going to ask for some help getting some magazines, also. Trish White, Bishop Gibbons High School, Schenectady, New York, 12304.

But for now, I’m trying to figure out how to get some heavy-duty school-hardy bookcases to her and to the school. I’ve found one good place that specializes in school furniture.  I like some of the color and size combinations, and they were among the best prices for the shelves I found online.

But there are even cheaper options. The school is non-profit, and any donations would be tax deductible.

On the school outfitters furniture site, I saw some metal bookcases that are on sale and colorful, beginning at $192 and going up to $334. They are heavy-duty metal and come in different colors. I think the 42″ or 6o”-inch ones would be perfect for the school library or classroom.

Colors don’t matter.

Things are tight, as I know, but I’ve also learned that sometimes it pays off to send these requests out into the ether. You never know. There are all kinds of angels out here.

I’ve also found some assemble-your-own bookcases at Home Depot for $99. They look sturdy to me and are made of oak.

I went to Walmart to check out their bookshelves, and I saw some that I liked; they run as low as $162. It’s a kind of upside-down problem to be sending so many books to a school they have no shelves for them. I’m proud of it.

Trish’s students are really beginning to get into reading, but I’d love to help them get some bookcases so they can see the beautiful books that have arrived. Alys of Bright Lights has done a fantastic job of getting these books to Schenectady.

They can use four or five (or eight?)  of these.

In past years, I would have had a few thousand dollars to draw from in the Refugee account a few years ago. Today I have $140, and I can’t spend it all on bookcases since the Mansion residents will soon need warm shoes.

Don’t feel bad; we’ll keep at it. We are all in the same boat.

That’s life, times change and we’re still helping quite a bit by innovating. We will change with the times, but we will never quit. If you wish to donate to me, I’ll buy some bookcases and arrange to ship them: via Paypal, [email protected], via Venmo, Jon-Katz@Jon-Katz-13, or by check, Refugee Fund, Jon Katz. 2502 State Route 22, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

We are thinking about a Wish List to help with the bookcases; if this appeal doesn’t work out, I’m searching for more used ones online. I like the ones I’ve found so far.

I’m not a non-profit organization and don’t wish to be, and contributions to me are not tax deductible. Bishop Gibbons will send donors 501 certificates (a tax letter)  for their taxes. Bishop Maginn did this to people who send money for tuition; we got a lot of kids into school and read that way.

Perhaps now we can get lots of books into school and the open.

If anybody has some extra money (it’s a tax write-off), please consider buying one of these bookcase sets and shipping them to Trish White, English Department, Bishop Gibbons High School, 2600 Albany Street, Schenectady, N.Y., 12304.