Hundreds of Spalding students walk through the Religion Breezeway every day. For a while, it was just that: A Breezeway. But on December 9th, 2025, it all changed. Income a Little Free Library. Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that places boxes in different places across the country to encourage people to “take a book, and leave a book.” As their motto so puts it. The idea started during the 24-25 school year, by two Spalding students: Katherine Parker (‘26) and Leo Reohr (‘26). After growing up experiencing Little Free Libraries through her neighborhood and church, Katherine wanted to “implement this in the Spalding community in the hopes that it would foster a community centered on reading and a love for literature.” The two of them presented the idea to Ms. W-B and Mr. Kain, the National English Honor Society (NEHS) moderators, who were just as excited to include this as Leo and Katherine were. Because of the leadership changes during the Spring of 2025, the “dream,” as Ms. W-B called it, did not come to reality until Fall of 2025. Mrs. Gilligan, the president of Archbishop Spalding High School, worked with Ms. W-B and Mr. Kain to find a new home for the Little Free Library.
The Religion Breezeway was picked because they wanted to have “a protected area for [the] students, faculty, and staff” (Ms. W-B). Then, Ms. Gilligan and Mr. Mannix had the area landscaped to make the environment as welcoming as possible for the Spalding community. The beautiful new addition was honored through a ribbon-cutting ceremony on December 9th. After all NEHS executive board members spoke, the President of NEHS, Morgan Bucht (‘26), officially cut the ribbon and opened it for the community. All NEHS members were invited to attend, including an author who is also a Spalding parent, Ms. Erica Robuck. The outcome was “better” than Katherine and Leo could have ever imagined, as they said in an interview that I conducted with them. After the ceremony, attendees were ushered inside for a cozy cookies-and-tea snack time to chat about the books just donated.
This new addition is special to so many people at Spalding because it created an outlet for students, faculty, and staff to share their favorite books. Although the weather has been quite gloomy over the past few months, the library is open and ready for new books! As Ms. W-B told me in an interview, “We hope the Little Free Library will be a beloved, longstanding benefit to the whole community. NEHS wants to have a positive effect at Spalding, and this is one of the ways we are trying to do that.” Now, what was once just a breezeway has become a place to hold stories to be shared and to strengthen a community. The Little Free Library stands as a reminder that one idea, born of two students, can flourish into a space that benefits all.
