Jenn Scott was named one of the state’s ‘Heroes of the Classroom’

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

It started with a van full of books.

Now, it is a bus.

A library on wheels heading out to different neighborhoods in Camas each week during the summer has been met with rave reviews since 2019.

During the past school year, Premera Blue Cross and the Seattle Seahawks honored the Camas School District and the organizer of the mobile book library, Jenn Scott, with a Hero of the Classroom award. And last week, the mascot of the Seahawks, Blitz, paid a visit.

The Camas Book Mobus travels to an elementary school every Wednesday, along with a shaved ice truck, to bring books to children and their families.

“It’s a passion project of mine,” said Jenn Scott, an instructional facilitator for the district during the school year and a champion of books in the summer.

Actually, she is a champion of books 365 days a year, but it is the summer months when her passion shines with the “Camas Book MoBus.”

“My role in the district is to support literacy,” she said.

The school libraries are closed in the summer.

“How can we provide access in a fun way that also helps build literacy skills and partnerships with our community?” she wondered.

In 2019, she organized a van full of books for the first mobile library.

There was no program in 2020 during the pandemic. But the mobile library returned in 2021. And it grew, too.

Joining the MoBus on the road is a Kona Ice truck, so children can pick up books and enjoy shaved ice. 

Every so often, a surprise guest shows up to a library stop. A couple weeks ago, a fire truck from the Camas Fire Department arrived, allowing children to get a tour and take pictures.

Then last week, Blitz from the Seahawks arrived and was a big hit with the children, the parents, and of course, Seahawk fan Jenn Scott.

“Kids get excited by seeing a mascot on TV, in person,” she said. “Kids got to play corn hole.” 

Blitz’s appearance also brought out families that might not have otherwise shown up to the mobile library stop.

Premera and the Seahawks gave Camas Public Schools $2,000 to go toward buying more books for the mobile library, plus they donated a number of new books for the cause.

“Through all of Jennifer’s efforts is evidence of the passion she has for reading instruction and the strongly held belief that all children can read,” wrote one of the people who nominated Scott as a Hero in the Classroom. “This impacts our entire district and community as we raise up strong literate students with an understanding of how they read as well as what they read. Jenn is a hero to us all.”

It was an honor for Scott to accept the donations for the school district.

“For me personally, it is the belief that we need to continue to inspire and motivate our kids to keep reading. There’s always something about seeing kids hold a book,” Scott said. “We gotta keep kids focused on literacy and the love of reading.”