On the Road for Literacy

By Regina R. Stewman

Every child looks forward to bright sunny summer days at the end of the school year.

What better way to enjoy those days than with a book under a shade tree? Yet in many parts of the Robert E. Lee Elementary School attendance area, students do not have access to a library; books; or a positive, significant adult role model.

Knowing that our students are reading on grade level at the end of the school year yet lose ground over the summer months, the Lee learning community in Springdale, Arkansas, collaborated on how to get books into the hands of students. During the summer of 2006, Lee Elementary started a mobile library to make sure our students had access to good literature—fiction and non-fiction—throughout the year.

Our school is housed in a 56-year-old building in the center of Springdale, a city of about 65,000 located in the northwest corner of Arkansas at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. In the last 10 years Springdale has become more diverse, with an influx of Hispanic and Marshallese families. The Marshallese come from the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific.

Lee Elementary serves about 475 students, of which 70% are Hispanic and 75% live in poverty. Our north to south attendance zone is approximately 4 miles long, with most students living at the perimeter of the attendance area at least 2 miles away from our campus. A majority of our students cannot attend summer programs, and the Springdale Public Library is located across a major highway that divides our city, making it difficult for students to check out books.

Through a grant from United Way, Lee Elementary was able to purchase about 5,000 books at all reading and interest levels. Using plastic crates packed into our own vehicles, school administrators, the literacy coach, a counselor, an ESL teacher, and a student’s father who participates in school activities as one of the WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads Of Great Students) took turns driving to three apartment complexes at opposite ends of our attendance area.

One of our goals for summer 2007 was to get a van that could be used for the mobile library to store the books, have them readily accessible for delivery, and provide a recognizable vehicle for safety reasons. A local catering business in our attendance area donated a used van to our school. The van required some repairs we did not have the resources to pay for at the time. Leadership Springdale, a team of current and emerging leaders in the community formed through the Chamber of Commerce, surveyed schools to see where they could meet the needs of students in Springdale.

Our staff listed five areas of priority. The first was to have the van repaired to be available for use in summer 2007. Rae Segura, one of the leadership team members and an employee of Legacy National Bank, told us the team wanted to help with the mobile library. Segura and other members found several businesses to work on the van. Upgrades included a paint job, a new transmission, air conditioning work, interior detailing, new tires, a $250 gas card, lifetime oil changes, and vinyl window signs that displayed our logo.

Based on previous summer attendance, we reviewed and made revisions to our schedule and library stops. In addition, classroom teachers joined us on the mobile library. We also invited faculty, students, and parents to walk with us in the July 4th city parade. Another business in town donated bookmarks that we handed out to the community as we showcased our van in the parade.

Students, teachers, parents, and the community take great pride in our mobile library! It has been an excellent way for community members, especially Hispanic business people who have built successful businesses here, to give back to Springdale. For 2008, the van will be ready to begin making its rounds during the second week of June, the first full week of summer vacation.

Our students are provided with appropriate books, ongoing positive relationships, and successful role models. The mobile library is a tangible, visible symbol of Lee’s commitment to learning. It has been a win-win for everyone involved!

Regina R. Stewman is the principal of Robert E. Lee Elementary.

On the road for literacy. (June 2008). Reading Today, 25(6), 28.