South Gibson Co. High School receives literacy grant

MEDINA, Tenn. — A local school receives a grant to expand reading for students.

Students at South Gibson County High School will soon see a new option in the school’s library.

Library Media Specialist Amanda Anderson says it will give students access to more books.

“It’s great! We now have the ability to provide digital access to our students so they have access to more than 100,000 books,” Anderson said.

The school plans to purchase 40 Kindle Fires, thanks to a $2,000 grant from Dollar General that funds youth literacy programs.

The school applied for the grant at the end of the school year last year.

Anderson says the school’s decision to buy e-readers came from partnering with a public library last year to get electronic cards with reading materials on them.

“We may have some students who don’t have smart devices,” Anderson said. “They may not have a laptop at home. I started looking for a grant to purchase some type of e-reader.”

Students, faculty and staff can finally use those electronic cards.

Anderson says these devices help with availability of books and cost efficiency.

“It’s cheaper to purchase. More students can use the e-book. If you have one book in the library, it’s not as easy,” Anderson said.

The e-readers can also be used in class for reading assignments, and it has the possibility to expand to include textbooks.

“It opens the doors and gives them access to more resources at their fingertips,” Anderson said.

South Gibson County High School and Dyersburg Middle School are the only two schools chosen in rural West Tennessee to receive the grant from Dollar General.