HUTTO — Grants, innovative designs and literacy programs are writing new chapters for young readers at the Nadine Johnson Elementary School library, educators said.
The space has undergone a series of changes specifically designed to encourage students from prekindergarten to fifth grade to open a book or otherwise engage in reading.
“The library is the heart of our school,” said librarian Caina Cooper. “It’s the most magical place on our campus.”
A recent alteration involved taking down some walls. The COVID19 shutdown prompted changes across the Hutto Independent School District, funded by the 2020 bond. The overhaul included Johnson.
“I fought to keep the walls,” said Cooper, who added that after touring another school’s library with a similar design, she approved of the new, open space.
Hutto ISD spokesman James Gazzale said creating an accessible location that everyone can see was the idea behind removing the library partitions.
“That’s the point, right? Students walk past it and it’s inviting and welcoming,” he said.
Cooper said the new concept not only welcomes readers with cozy nooks and collaborative workspaces, but the open areas also allow pupils to see everything going on in the library.
“When you walk through and see the library, you realize it’s an important part of the school,” Cooper added.
She said students notice when she decorates the library and changes books for display. When another class is having its library time, the librarian said she often sees the other pupils walking past on tiptoes to get a peek.
Grants by the Hutto Education Foundation have paid for many of the improvements, including some of Cooper’s favorites: a Ride and Read area, a book-vending machine and a Maker Movement lab where students can learn through
hands-on projects. The Ride and Read initiative, which was the first grant Cooper ever applied for and received funding, provides equipment allowing kids flexibility in movement while they complete reading tasks, such as pedaling and perusing a book.
“I knew it was just what our campus needed,” she said.
Independent reading increased almost immediately, the librarian added.
In addition, a $5,000 grant from the foundation allowed Cooper to buy a vending machine for dispensing books. Proceeds from the school’s Scholastic book fairs and other school fundraisers help supply the machine. Students can earn coins at school by reaching academic or behavioral goals. Those coins can only be used at the vending machine.
The device provides children with a free book of their own.
“To cultivate a culture of reading, kids need access to books,” she said.
Another foundation grant allowed the school to purchase science, technology, engineering and mathematics materials to connect to storybooks in the library’s Maker Movement lab.
“We did a whole unit on fairytales and paired them with STEM challenges,” Cooper said.
For the story of “The Three Little Pigs,” learners used pipe cleaners, Legos or magnet tiles to build the pigs’ homes. Cooper, meanwhile, used a hair dryer with a picture of the Big Bad Wolf taped over it to see which structure withstood the wolf “blowing” it down.
Ride and Read equipment lets energetic students pedal and read books at the same time, getting a literary “workout” at the Nadine Johnson Elementary School library.
