On December 22, 2015, North Harford High School lost fellow hawk, Erin Drumm. She was known by many, as she was involved in several clubs and extracurricular activities. Drumm passed away after a brief, but strong battle with leukemia.

    She was involved in the school’s musical, swim team, FFA, chorus, lacrosse, taekwondo, German club, National Honor’s Society and 4H outside of school.

   Senior Abby Renzulli recalls a time when Drumm and her were laughing in the women’s dressing room for the musical over a complicated hat. It was the year they performed The Sound of Music. “Neither of us could figure out how to put it on and we would just sit there laughing trying to figure it out.” Renzulli describes Drumm as a “very outgoing person who was not afraid to be herself” and someone who “was extremely enthusiastic about the things she loved.”

    In order to keep the spirit of Erin alive, we continue on with our second year hosting the annual book drive. As someone who was obsessed with reading in her free-time and always had a new book in her hand, reading was something that brought her joy even in her last days. Her father would read her The Martian by Andy Weir when she became too weak to hold the book up herself. It is because of this that Mrs. Paula Drumm had decided to create the book drive in the first place.

    In hopes of boosting the spirits of children in the same position as Erin, she gathers all the donated books and takes them to John Hopkins Children’s hospital, local Boys and Girls clubs, and The Maryland Book Bank. Due to the fact that the majority of books are going to sick children, it is asked that all books being donated are newly purchased to eliminate the exposure of germs.

    Teacher Mrs. Nancy Green has stepped up to help continue on Drumm’s legacy through the annual book drive. Green recalls that Erin “would walk around with giant books” because of her passion for reading. Drumm’s favorite book was The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein. Erin’s mother revealed that the reason she loved to read so much was because “[she] loved the fact that when you read, you get to become someone else in a different place and time.” Her love for reading began when she was in fourth grade and read The Warrior series; she was hooked on reading from then on.

    All feeder elementary schools of North Harford High School are also donating books, as they did last year to maximize the amount of books we can give to the sick children as they recover. Last year, the community raised over 2,000 books to go to children in need.

    From now until December 5, there will be donation bins in the main office, blackbox theater and library where students can drop off their new books.