Scottville Elementary teacher Becky Alway unveils the library as her students look on. In background, from left are John Wilson, Western Land; Amy Taranko, West Shore ESD assistant superintendent of instructional services; Dr. Jason Jeffrey, superintendent, West Shore ESD; Jeff Mount, superintendent, MCC. WSESD photo.
West Shore School News is a presentation of West Shore Educational School District in partnership with Mason County Press and Oceana County Press.
SCOTTVILLE — TalentFirst celebrated the official unveiling of a new classroom library Monday at Mason County Central’s Scottville Elementary as a part of a series of Adopt-a-Classroom Library ceremonies, marking a major milestone in the region’s effort to address Michigan’s early literacy crisis.
Monday’s ceremony took place in the second grade classroom of Becky Alway.
WSESD photo
The unveiling ceremonies recognize schools and educators selected to receive Adopt-a-Classroom Library grants—a cornerstone of TalentFirst’s early literacy strategy designed to equip new K–3 teachers in high-need schools with high-quality, Science of Reading-aligned classroom libraries. With only 38.9% of Michigan third graders currently reading at grade level, early literacy remains one of the strongest predictors of long-term academic success, workforce readiness, and regional economic vitality.
“For TalentFirst and our CEO Council, early literacy isn’t just an education issue—it’s a workforce imperative,” said John Wilson, chairman and CEO of Western Land Services of Ludington and a member of the TalentFirst CEO Council. “By investing in teachers and young readers at this critical stage, we’re strengthening Michigan’s future talent pipeline and creating opportunity that lasts a lifetime.”
Submitted photo
Each participating educator received $2,000 to purchase approximately 200 high-quality, age-appropriate books, a $200 Amazon gift card to help create welcoming classroom library spaces, a 35% educator discount through Barnes & Noble, and access to coaching and professional development from regional literacy experts. Together, these resources provide students with daily access to rich, diverse texts proven to strengthen reading skills and spark a lifelong love of learning.
The 2025 Adopt-a-Classroom Library grant recipients include:
- Beechnau Elementary, Ravenna School District (Muskegon County) – kindergarten
- Holton Elementary, Holton School District (Muskegon County) – first grade
- Lakeshore Elementary, West Ottawa School District (Ottawa County) – kindergarten
- Lakeshore Elementary, West Ottawa School District (Ottawa County) – third grade
- Walkerville Elementary, Walkerville School District (Ottawa County) – second grade
- Scottville Elementary, Mason County Central School District (Mason County) – second grade
- West Godwin Elementary, Godwin Heights School District (Kent County) – second grade
Teacher Becky Alway
The grants—representing more than $16,500 in direct investments—were made possible through a combination of community grants and CEO Alliance funding from Lorin Industries, Metal Flow Corporation, Webb Chemical, KeyBank, Pennies From Heaven Foundation, 42 North Partners, SoundOff Signal, The Hill Family Fund, and the J. Midge Verplank Community Impact Fund.
The Adopt-a-Classroom Library program is part of a broader regional effort led by TalentFirst to unite business leaders, educators, and community partners around data-driven, scalable solutions that improve early literacy outcomes and strengthen West Michigan’s long-term competitiveness.
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