Media Advisory: Bache-Martin Elementary School Celebrates Library Grand Opening
BACHE-MARTIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CELEBRATES LIBRARY GRAND OPENING
Philadelphia public school provides model for community support and student success
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Bache-Martin Elementary School–a pre-K-8 public school located in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia—will celebrate the opening of its library after being closed for seven years.
Thanks to donations and the efforts of Friends of Bache-Martin, the school has raised over $90,000 for books, Chromebooks, furniture, supplies, and a part-time library coordinator, and has amassed a collection of over 10,000 fiction and nonfiction volumes. School libraries are a cornerstone of student learning and academic achievement. At a time when school libraries have disappeared due to budget cuts, Bache-Martin serves as a model for how community support can have a positive impact on a school.
“I have taught in Philadelphia schools for 15 years. Today was the first day my kids have experienced a working library. It was beautiful watching them in wonder over the books,” said Bache-Martin teacher Jen Malloy.
“We want our story to inspire fellow district schools whose kids will benefit from their own library, just as ours have immediately upon opening. And we hope our progress encourages ongoing consideration and emphasis of the importance of a literacy hub in all of Philadelphia’s schools,” said Jerilyn Dressler, Board President of the Friends of Bache-Martin. “It’s worth noting that we are a community of dreaming ‘realists’ and we know that a library can’t be most effective long-term without a professional full-time librarian. As a community, we are supportive of the District’s continued efforts to secure additional resources for libraries in schools.”
WHAT: Bache-Martin Library grand opening and celebration
WHEN: Monday, January 14, 2019, 9:00 a.m.
WHERE: Bache-Martin Elementary School, 2201 Brown Street, 2nd Floor, Philadelphia. Entrance is on the east side of 22nd Street near Brown Street
WHO: Mayor Jim Kenney, Superintendent Dr. William Hite, Councilman Darrell Clarke, Councilman Bill Greenlee, U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, State Sen. Lawrence Farnese, State Rep. Donna Bullock
Founded as a school serving students with disabilities, Bache-Martin continues that tradition today and houses several self-contained special education classrooms for students requiring autistic, hearing or life skills supports, and multiple- disability support classrooms.
About Friends of Bache-Martin
The mission of Friends of Bache-Martin is to provide financial and educational assistance to enhance the educational opportunities offered by the school. The Friends of Bache-Martin functions in cooperation with the Bache-Martin school administration to create a community of lifelong learners. Friends of Bache-Martin is comprised of members of the surrounding Philadelphia community, school faculty, parents and guardians of current and future students.
About Bache-Martin Elementary School
Bache-Martin Elementary School is a pre-K-8 neighborhood elementary school serving approximately 500 students. The school has a long history of serving students both in the Fairmount/Francisville/Spring Garden communities as well as the city as a whole.