On February 8, the Ayn Rand Institute celebrated a significant milestone in its Free Books to Teachers program. Robert Begley, development specialist at ARI, presented a framed copy of ARI’s four-millionth free book, The Fountainhead, to Bayside High School English teacher Allan Weissmann. This is particularly noteworthy because 2018 happens to be the 75th anniversary of this best-selling Ayn Rand novel.

Since 2009, Weissmann’s students have submitted 561 essays to the contest. In 2010, Cheska Mauban, a student of his, won The Fountainhead contest.

In the presentation, Begley described how he discovered Rand on his own while attending a New York City public high school, but faced opposition from his English teacher who refused to assign Rand’s books in her classes. Bayside High School’s motto is “Anchored in Excellence,” and Begley explained how Rand’s works, ARI’s essay contests and the free books program embody that motto.  

Begley thanked ARI’s contributors for their support of the Free Books to Teachers and Essay Contests programs. He also showed how he financially supported the latest shipment of books to Bayside High; he opened the cover of The Fountainhead and pointed inside at the bookplate that has his name on it.

The students were inspired to action, and immediately following the presentation, several of them visited the library and checked out copies of The Fountainhead and Anthem.

To see the award presentation, check out the video.