CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Students at West Oso Elementary School will now have a variety of books to choose from—even those who speak more than one language.
KRIS 6 News Reporter Naidy Escobar spoke with some of the people who made this all possible. On Thursday, West Oso Elementary School got a big surprise. The school was one of 10 schools in the nation to be given a Yellow Library with over 400 books.
The Kendra Scott Foundation provided the school with a curated collection of diverse and inclusive books from the First Book Marketplace. In addition to the bookshelf, they also donated $1,000 in funding to further support literacy initiatives at the school.
Adriana Quezada, an educator at the school, said she applied for this opportunity last year and didn’t imagine they could be chosen.
"We saw a need because our second graders need picture books, and this was the opportunity to purchase the picture books for the students and give them the opportunity to read diverse literature," Quezada said.
This year, the school added second grade for the first time, meaning they have seen an increase in the need for books.
Over 400 books were given to the school and 100 of those are for the bilingual section of the library.
They are currently serving 500 hundred students, and about 10 percent of them are bilingual.
"We do have students who come from Mexico or Central America, and we need to be able to provide these students with the same opportunities as every other student in our school," she added.
The students even had a very special guest for story time —Suzette Quintanilla, the sister of the much-loved and well-known 'Selena.'
Quintanilla tells KRIS 6 News it's important for the Selena Foundation to help provide resources to schools in the area.
"I think it's super important for a child to connect with reading, and if it's about who we are, it's really important that there's that recognition that I can be this person and that there's a relationship there," Quintanilla said.
