Librarian Evelyn Bernier isn’t your typical keeper of books. After Hurricanes Irma and Maria destroyed all of the books in her library at Bowsky Elementary School, she wasted no time (or words) lamenting over the loss. She secured a $60,000 grant from the Laura Bush Foundation for American Libraries to restock the entire library with hardcover books purchased from early childhood book publishers and distributors including Scholastic, Follet and Mackin. She also received a $5,000 grant from the American Library Association to purchase three desktop computers for the library. Mrs. Bernier has been the librarian at Bowsky Elementary for more than 15 years, right after she moved to St. Thomas from the Philippines in 2007. She says no challenge is too big when it comes to the education and literacy of the territory’s students.
“I understand the problems that we (educators) are faced with,” she said. “But with little effort, we can make a difference.”