Midway ISD School Among 20 Nationwide Awarded Kendra Scott Foundation Yellow Library
Yellow is quickly becoming the favorite color of students at Speegleville Elementary School in Midway ISD thanks to a grant from the Kendra Scott Foundation.
Out of hundreds of applicants, Speegleville Elementary is one of only 20 schools across the country—and the first in Waco—selected to receive a KSF Yellow Library. The award includes a bookcase valued at approximately $1,000, stocked with $2,000 worth of diverse and inclusive books from First Book Marketplace, and an additional $1,000 grant to support literacy efforts at the school.
“Putting books in the hands of children was the number one reason I applied for this grant,” Speegleville Elementary School Librarian Tiffany Guy said. “These books will go a long way to filling the library shelves with new, exciting titles that students are already asking if they can check out.”
Ms. Guy was able to purchase 551 new books for students in pre-K through fifth grade, hand-selecting each title to provide multicultural and multilingual literature that promotes social-emotional learning, reflecting the goals of the KSF Yellow Library program.
“The books will become part of the library circulation to be enjoyed for years to come by current and future students,” Guy said. “Many of the books will also be used for rewards for students to take home with them to build their at-home library because reading at home is so important for children’s literacy.”
The Yellow Library was unveiled during an in-person donation event hosted by the Kendra Scott Foundation on Nov. 4 in the Speegleville Elementary library with nearly 40 fifth grade students in attendance.
The event also featured special guest reader Cort Castle, a Baylor University senior and baseball catcher who attended Midway schools from kindergarten until graduating from Midway High School in 2021. He made sure he was there to support Ms. Guy, his first grade teacher at Woodway Elementary who played a large role in teaching him how to read.
“It was a full-circle emotional moment to have my former first grade student be our guest reader for the event,” Guy said. “I am so lucky that I got to be his teacher and now watch him grow up into a successful young man giving back to others in the community.”
Ms. Guy also expressed gratitude for the KSF Yellow Library program and its impact on Speegleville Elementary students.
“What a huge honor to be selected out of a few schools in the nation,” Guy said. “Thank you, Kendra Scott, for your generous donations to improve literacy at our school and in our community.”
