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ASUNCION, Paraguay - Betsy Curry, a 2003 graduate of Parkersburg High School, is trying to help South American children by collecting books written in Spanish.

Curry wrote in a recent e-mail to The Parkersburg News and Sentinel she first stepped foot in a Paraguayan classroom two years ago as a "young and naive" Peace Corps volunteer.

Her initial reaction was shock to see the simplicity of the classroom in Paraguay, she wrote. On the walls only a few battered posters hung. A chalkboard - chipped and scarred by years of misuse - headed the class, she said.

"Dilapidated desks completed the scene. Nowhere in sight were books, games, art supplies, or anything to stimulate the minds of the Paraguayan youth," Curry said.

"It took me almost a year to fully understand the complex sociopolitical history that has shaped the Paraguayan classroom," Curry wrote in the e-mail.

Curry is seeking books written in Spanish from area residents for the Paraguay school children. Donations can be dropped off at the Wood County Board of Education office.

Yvonne Santin, special education director for Wood County Schools, will collect books at the school board office in Parkersburg. Curry's mother, Bonnie Curry, will stop by frequently to pick them up, Curry said.

Curry hopes to collect books for the Paraguayan students between now and May 15, when she plans to return to Parkersburg.

After nearly three decades of a dictatorship, an educational reform has failed to improve the learning atmosphere in Paraguay, Curry said. Rote repetition, archaic books and other outdated methods are regularly used, leading to students who are years behind their learning potential, she said.

"Poverty and corruption have only confounded the problems," Curry wrote.

Curry was brought to Paraguay as a rural economic development volunteer, but she said improving business practices was difficult when she was drawn to the poor education system.

"Therefore, as an attempt to improve learning opportunities and encourage independent study, I have begun a library project for a nearby school. With the help of the school administration, NGOs (non-governmental organizations), fellow Peace Corps Paraguay volunteers and staff, the community and I have succeeded in starting a small library to be placed in the principal's office. When completed, the library will provide both students and teachers with a source of up-to-date books and materials to improve the learning environment," Curry wrote.

The group is trying to help a combined high school and elementary school. There are about 400 students, grades pre-school through 12. Each classroom has 30 students and only about six textbooks in each grade, she said.

Textbooks in use are at least 10-15 years outdated, she said. Books for casual reading are expensive when compared to the average income of a farm family.

"Just one Harry Potter book, for example, costs more than a family of eight spends on food for an entire week," Curry said.

While living in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, Curry is serving a leadership position as a coordinator to 40 business and municipal Peace Corps volunteers.

"After living in Paraguay for over two years I have realized there is only so much we can do as foreigners. What the country of Paraguay truly needs is self-motivated, educated nationals to further development within their country. It is our dream that by leaving behind a library of knowledge future Paraguayan leaders and citizens will be able to self-educate and propel their country in the direction of a sustainable future," she said.

Curry graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2007 and is scheduled to remain in the Peace Corps in Paraguay through September. Her father is former Wood County Superintendent of Schools Dan Curry.

Curry can be reached at betsy.a.curry@gmail.com