Fifty children’s books featuring Saint Lucian sprint queen Julien Alfred were donated on Friday to the charitable organisation Diverse Classroom Books.
Written by Saint Lucian author A.L. Dawne French, “Peanut and the Julien Alfred Visit” was commissioned by 1st National Bank. The 50 copies were donated by Alfred during a presentation at her alma mater, Ciceron Primary School.
The book tells the story of Alfred’s athletic journey, determination, and historic rise to become Saint Lucia’s Olympic sprint champion.
Diverse Classroom Books is a Saint Lucian charity that donates new, engaging, and diverse children’s books to schools to strengthen their library collections and encourage children to discover the pleasure of reading.
Shnell Donacien, founder of Diverse Classroom Books, noted that the donation was particularly meaningful. Donacien, a Choiseul native, grew up in London, England, where she trained as a primary school teacher and has worked in education for over 18 years as a teaching mentor training aspiring teachers, Key Stage 2 Leader, reading curriculum leader, and assistant headteacher in England, India, and, most recently, China, where she spent the past eight years.
“Over the past year, we have visited more than 20 schools, beginning in Choiseul and extending to communities including Vieux Fort, Soufrière, Canaries, Blanchard, and Babonneau. We plan to distribute Julien’s books during upcoming school visits across the island,” she said.
“We are deeply grateful to 1st National Bank and Julien Alfred for supporting our work. We are especially pleased that Julien recognises the importance of literacy and the value of inspiring children to read. Her generous contribution will help bring an uplifting story about a Saint Lucian role model into schools and encourage young readers to dream, learn, and explore through books.”
“We also welcome enquiries from schools in Saint Lucia seeking support with book donations and from businesses or organisations interested in partnering with us to bring more books to the island and strengthen school libraries.”
Anyone wishing to learn more about or support the work of Diverse Classroom Books can contact the organisation at diverseclassroombooks@outlook.com or on social media at @diverseclassroombooks.
