May 28, 2004 – Jeanne Richards, past principal of Evelyn Marcelli Elementary School, was honored on Thursday at a ceremony naming the school's newly restored library for her. Displayed prominently behind the book-checkout desk was a portrait of Richards, an educator for more than 44 years.
About 90 percent of the library's former holdings had to be thrown out because of mold and mildew and the health hazards they presented for the school students and staff, a release from the school stated.
The library received a $5,000 Laura Bush Foundation grant this year in support of community efforts to help restore the aging facility. Parents, teachers and students assisted in cleaning out the library; school maintenance personnel provided the labor to do the restoration; and fund-raisers were held at the school to help purchase new materials with the help of discounts offered by local merchants. The foundation award will go for the purchase of fiction books.
The school was a territorial champion in this year's Reading is Fundamental Community Read to Me Challenge and received a $200 award to buy books for the library.
Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone, who attended the dedication ceremony, pledged to donate books to aid in the restoration effort. The school also received $200 from the Tourism Department and $100 from Ealsie Turnbull, a retired teacher who also attended the function.
Marcelli School is seeking other sponsors for library books and resource materials. Anyone who would like to make a donation is asked to call the school office at 774-2966.
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