Godfrey-Lee — When Lee Middle and High School’s newly renovated library and innovation center opened earlier this year, lifelong reader and then freshman Arianna Wheeler said she found herself immersed in stories she found inside the library.
Now a sophomore, her sentiment toward her school’s library has not wavered. She wrote in a poem dedicated to Lee’s library:
“There’s a book for everybody/Otherwise, it’s not a library… That’s what reading is. IT’S A CONNECTION-IT’S A HOME/That’s what it is for me, a place to belong.”
A pre-recorded version of Arianna’s full poem was played in the library on Tuesday morning in honor of its receiving Model 21st Century School Library status from the Library of Michigan and Michigan Department of Education for the 2024-25 school year.
The School Libraries for the 21st Century program uses an evaluation system that scores on building and district infrastructure, learning environment, teaching for learning and leadership in the community. Points are scored and totaled for achieving benchmark qualifications.
With the designation, district library media specialist Harry Coffill and fellow library staff members will be available to consult with other school district leaders, school librarians and educators who want to develop or expand their programs.
State librarian Randy Riley said this is the ninth year of the program, and that Lee’s library met almost every one of the benchmark criteria of an exemplary library.
“With the SL21 program, we try to find ways to shine a spotlight on all the good things that are happening in school libraries across the state,” he said. “At this school, (the library) has been identified as an important part (of the building), and an investment has been made. This space is a central part of this school and a central part of the learning that takes place.”
Coffill said it was an honor to receive the endorsement and a testament to the collective efforts of the Godfrey-Lee schools and community and belief in the importance of school libraries for all students.
He also thanked state representatives from the Michigan Association of School Librarians for their inspiration and passion for student access to knowledge.
Creating Community Within a Library
Since coming to Godfrey-Lee in 2019, Coffill has said every student deserves to have access to books and stories that reflect their identities and experiences.
“We’re curating a diverse and dynamic collection, so no matter who walks into our library, they can find themselves on the shelves,” he said. “I can’t tell you how many of them have told me, ‘I finally found a book that feels like me.’”
He also credited students for giving suggestions for new titles and playing an instrumental role in the library design and construction process.
“This facility is one of the busiest places in our district, and we are proud of how far our library program has come,” Lee Middle School Principal Addie Rose said. “We’ve noticed the difference. Our students love coming here and … are more engaged in reading and learning as a whole.”
Coffill added that the library was designed to be re-arrangeable and to meet the personal and academic needs of students and staff.
“The way we’ve integrated the library into both our middle and high school lessons and literacy efforts has been a game changer,” Rose said. “We’re creating ties between reading skills and every subject area.”
Godfrey-Lee’s library also collaborates with Kent District Library to provide students and families access to books year round.
Coffill: ‘Above and beyond’
At the dedication ceremony, State Rep. John Fitzgerald, D-Wyoming, presented a special tribute to Coffill to “honor an extraordinary individual who has gone above and beyond to enrich the educational experience of local students.”
“Under (Coffill’s) leadership, the Lee library earned the model school library award, which reflects a deep commitment to literacy, learning and success,” he said. “Because of his tireless efforts to improve library services in this district, the library has transformed into a space that offers books and resources but also fosters creativity, community and lifelong learning.”
State Superintendent Michael Rice said he wished he had a library like Lee’s when he was in school.
“Sometimes when we talk about books and libraries you wonder, ‘What’s the big deal?’ ” he said. “I go to schools across the state that don’t have libraries, or they’re locked, or (have) diminished collections, or books on the shelves that don’t represent the children in the schools. … If (students) look at the walls here, you see books that represent you, and that’s a big deal. Books matter. Libraries matter. Librarians matter. Representation matters.”
Read more from Godfrey-Lee:
This librarian’s mission: helping students find ‘the voice they need at that moment’
Middle, high school awarded grants to expand multicultural book collection
