Celebrating books at Shelby Middle School

Celebrating books at Shelby Middle School

Tiger Pride is a presentation of Shelby Public Schools in partnership with Oceana County Press. 

SHELBY—Last week, on Oct. 24, students, faculty, and staff from West Shore Community College met with their counterparts at Shelby Middle School to celebrate the 113 new books an Oceana Community Foundation grant had enabled the school to purchase.   Students in WSCC’s Future Teachers Club wrote the grant under the direction of Seán Henne, professor of English and education.
In awarding Shelby Middle School, the Oceana Community Foundation had accessed the Gary and Mary Ann Peterson Grandpa & Grandma Pete Memorial Fund and the William R. Lathers Foundation Fund.

“It’s quite lovely, really,” Henne said. “All the layers of partnership that made acquiring these books possible, from the generous donors, through the Foundation itself and its Youth Advisory Council, the SMS staff, and the energy of my students who worked on the grant.”
One of the WSCC students who wrote the grant was Alicia Escoto, a resident of Shelby who attended the literacy event.   All of the WSCC students performed research to support their writing; Escoto focused on history books, as that had been a request from Jessica Danielson, Shelby Middle School principal.

“Reading quality social studies books helps children understand the world from different perspectives and helps us discover what’s outside our small town to allow us to dream big,” Escoto said.
            Shelby Middle School students who attended the event had the first opportunity to handle the new books.  The students were able to discuss them with the representatives from the college and Community Foundation.
“It’s gratifying to see just how excited the middle school students were to explore the new books, and it was fun to watch them begin to share their explorations – talking about books just makes their impact so much greater,” said Henne.
Anyone with an idea for an educational project needing support, please get in touch with Henne at 231-843-5859 or swhenne@wetshore.edu.