SOUTHWEST CITY, Mo. — It’s not total exclusivity, but it is quite the honor for a McDonald County elementary school.
The library at Southwest City Elementary has received a $5,000 grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries. The school is one of 300 from 44 states this year to receive the funding.
Officials plan to use it to build the library’s print collection, including new Spanish language books, student chosen non-fiction books, and graphic novels.
“It’s really exciting, number one, to know that there are people outside of the county who know that our kids are worth it, and to see that they deserve more,” said SWC Librarian Hanna Granger. “The amount that we’re getting has been my, half of my budget for the last two years, so essentially the budget that the $5,000 that we’re getting, equates to two years of my book budget in this building.”
Since its inception in 2002, the Laura Bush Foundation for American’s Libraries has awarded more than $19,000,000 to more than 3,000 schools across the country.