Collaborative Learning Through Community:
On the Gateway School District’ s Relationship with the Monroeville Public Library ateway
GATEWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT
When Hope Benson is running errands around Monroeville, it’ s not uncommon for her to be stopped by an eager student.
“ I’ ll see students out in the community and they’ ll come running up to me,” said Benson, the Head of Children’ s Services & Outreach at the Monroeville Public Library.“ They’ re so excited to tell me all about a new book they read.”
Moments like these make Gateway— a school district that educates well over 3,000 students across six schools— seem smaller than it actually is. That’ s no accident. Strong partnerships across its surrounding community are the ties that bind the district together. One of the most encompassing partnerships comes with the Monroeville Public Library, who regularly supports and does outreach across the district’ s schools.
“ I have yet to see a partnership that’ s like this anywhere. It’ s wildly unique. I didn’ t notice how unique it was until I was in different county and state level meetings with different librarians and they all kept lamenting how they couldn’ t get into schools,” said Benson.
“ Gateway is not just located in our community, they’ re an active part of the community. I really like that. That’ s one of the things I like about going into the schools.”
A partnership that now feels like second nature has grown rapidly throughout the years. It all started with Benson, who assumed her current role with the library eight years ago. That role encompasses quite a bit, but Benson particularly resonates with the outreach element, recognizing a library’ s traditional role in the community as a connector and resource.
Benson initially connected with one teacher in the district eight years back, asking her if she could read to her class. Now, Benson and her department supports the whole district in some capacity. As Benson puts it, she went
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from seeing roughly 25 students twice a year, to now seeing 1100 students every month. Benson’ s work is supported by two other librarians, Catriona Kirk and Ally Wetherhold, who also push into the schools for outreach.
“ A library’ s mandate is to serve the needs of their whole community, and that doesn’ t just mean the people that come into the library. I was trying to find a way to help and offer services to kids, and the best place to do that, I felt, were the schools. The school gets kids from all over the community, all the different neighborhoods, all the different places. And they’ re the kids who, if they’ re not coming to the library, they’ re definitely going to school,” said Benson.
“ Plus, I think Gateway does an amazing job. I have had two kids go through the district, and I think that they have some of the greatest teachers that I’ ve ever worked with. So I wanted to do what I could to not only support the kids, but to support them as well.”
Benson and her fellow librarians visit each K-4 classroom in the district once a month, along with visits to the Middle School and High School, as well. Activities range from reading to classrooms, engaging exercises to review novels, STEM lessons, and much more.
Amanda Robbins, a special education teacher at Gateway Middle School, regularly works with the library’ s