Marsh Middle School students congregated under make-shift forts for the Read-A-Thon, which helped raised money for library updates. (Courtesy photo)

While most campus administrators are looking for ways to retain critical programs amid state budget cuts, Marsh Middle School began fundraising and put students to work on updating the neglected library.

“We are so proud of the kids who are coming and rallying around their library,” says Marsh librarian Mary Virginia Meeks.

Last fall over the Thanksgiving holiday, nearly 40 students work two-hour shifts, cleaning, painting and re-organizing the library. In return, the school waives any outstanding books fines for the kids. The PTA helped fund supplies, and parents sewed fabric banners to hang on the walls.

On April 8, students made use of the new updates during the Read-A-Thon Lock-In. About 30 bookworms gathered in the library, making tents and reading by flashlight for six hours. The goal was to raise awareness about library programs. Several donors answered the call, and more than $1,700 was raised through the event.

Meeks says that before the renovations began, no one wanted to visit the library. The book selection was outdated, and the atheistic was uninviting.

“Now, circulation is through the roof.” It’s up 30 percent from last year.

Meeks came from a private school in Frisco and is in her first year at Marsh, a public school with a high number of economically disadvantaged students.

“I just look at this demographic, and this is where my heart is,” she says. “It’s a unique community. It’s special. This is what I hope I’ll be doing for a very long time.”

Next, Meeks is hoping to raise enough money for a “Net Cafe” in the library for students to use laptops and e-readers and drink cocoa.

HOW TO DONATE
To contribute to the Marsh Middle School library, you can mail or bring a check to the school, 3838 Crown Shore, 75244.

Also, check out our May issue (which will hit stands and doorknobs over the next several days) for a story about Jack Wallace’s eighth-grade reading class working toward its goal of reading 1,000 books by the end of the school year.