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East Side Charter
Library: A Welcoming Learning Environment
“We have to create a learning
environment in the community as well as the school…Every child
should have a valid chance to learn.” Will Robinson, former
head of East Side Charter School, president and ceo of East Side
Community Learning Center Foundation.
In 2007, the children at East Side Charter School in northeast
Wilmington had a library that was anything but welcoming or
encouraging to reading. It was poorly lit and ventilated, with
broken bookshelves, peeling plaster, shabby and torn carpeting
and tattered books.
 That
has all changed. On November 15, a dedication ceremony was held
for a newly renovated library, with more than 5,000 pristine new
books, as well as new carpeting, furniture, bookshelves, air
conditioning and lighting—and a full time librarian. Many
members of the community who made it possible were in
attendance. Hercules, which has a mentoring partnership with
the school, was one of the benefactors, contributing $25,000 to
the project.
Hercules Craig
Rogerson presents check to Will Robinson
The Gilliam Foundation, which supports arts, education, social
services and other causes in Delaware, got the project started
with a $100,000 challenge grant. Businesses and community
members stepped up to the challenge with monetary contributions
as well as donations in kind from designing the new library to
providing materials such as furniture and carpeting. Jim
Gilliam, Jr., president of the Gilliam Foundation, said, “All of
you who have been intimately involved in East Side Charter
School have left a legacy.”
In his comments at the dedication,
David Distler, head of East Side Charter School, said:
“I wish you could all have been here
to see the faces of the children as they peeked through the
door watching the renovation with looks of excitement and
smiles on their faces…This is a beautiful place to be, a
warm and friendly environment. We now have excellent books
and materials for our students to work with…Our children
come from challenging environments and for them to have the
opportunity to hold and read a brand new book that no one
has had before them is...extraordinary.”
Of the 325 students attending East Side
Charter, from pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade, more
than 85% live in poverty. Two of the students expressed their
feelings at the ceremony, saying they are getting better grades
this year as a result of this new resource. The ceremony ended
with an "a capella" chorus of students singing songs including
“We are the World”, “I believe I can fly” and the evocative
“Lean on Me.”
"Lean on me, when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend,
I'll help you carry on...it won't be long til I'm gonna need
somebody to lean on."
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Community Involvement