A Glen Ridge High School senior is making reading a little more fun for local kids. Esmae Keswin recently helped create a new reading garden at the Cooper School in Montclair, giving students a cozy outdoor space to enjoy books and spend time together. The garden features wooden benches, plants, flowers, and a little library just outside the school’s front entrance. Esmae raised $1,500 for the project through her student-led organization, Hands 4 Hope, which creates service opportunities for young people. Keep reading to learn more.
Esmae Keswin, pictured center. Photo Credit: The Cooper School
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was recently held at the Cooper School, located at 180 Cooper Avenue, to celebrate the completed reading garden. Esmae led the project through Hands 4 Hope and worked alongside student volunteers Dixon Atkinson, Taiye Akinwande, and Maya Kishimoto to transform the outdoor space, according to a report from Patch.
The $1,500 project created a shared reading area just outside the Cooper School’s front entrance. According to the school, wooden benches are surrounded by plants and flowers, creating a colorful outdoor setting where children can sit with a book, spend time with classmates, or gather with their families. The garden is designed to be more than just a place to read. By bringing books and nature together, the new space gives students an opportunity to take a break from the classroom, get some fresh air, and connect in a welcoming environment.
“Cooper School is deeply grateful for this generous gift,” Lynn Kulik, educational director at the Cooper School, told The Montclair Girl. “A good book, a cozy bench, and a little library filled with possibilities create a special place where children can discover, imagine, and connect. It’s a beautiful reminder of what community is all about.”
“Had so much fun bringing this project to life for The Cooper School!” said a post on the Hands 4 Hope Instagram account. “We built a Reading Garden to inspire kindness, imagination, and a love of reading.”
For Esmae, the reading garden is part of a larger effort to connect literacy, kindness, and community service. She founded Hands 4 Hope, a student-led organization that creates service opportunities for young people and develops projects that benefit local children and families. Previously, the organization has raised funds for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children of Essex County, hosted a Christmas toy drive, and held activity nights for nursing home residents.
Esmae also self-published a children’s book,, in August, 2026 and created a kindness curriculum based on the story. She teaches the curriculum to students at local elementary schools, utilizing the book to encourage children to practice kindness and self-compassion.
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