Matteson Elementary Celebrates New Library Center

Along with unveiling a new library media center for students Friday, October 21, south suburban Matteson Elementary School celebrated a return to normalcy by welcoming back into the building the Real Men Read program after an almost three-year hiatus due to COVID-19 precautions.

Matteson School District 162 superintendent Dr. Blondean Y. Davis and elected officials, including Illinois State Rep. Debbie Meyers-Martin and Matteson village president Sheila Chalmers-Currin cut the ribbon to the new library center Friday morning. After the ribbon cutting, kindergarten through third grade students listened to stories from the volunteers of the Real Men Read program.

Among the readers was Gabriel Wallace who is deaf, but was still one of the men who volunteered every Thursday morning before the pandemic to make a difference.

Starting in 2014, the reading program brought men from across the Chicagoland area to the south suburban school every Thursday to read to students because of the call of John W. Fountain, a Chicago Sun-Times columnist and community member whose children attended Matteson School District 162 schools.

Following up on his commitment to read after being the guest speaker at a Dads’ Day program at the school, through his column, Fountain invited other men to join him on Thursdays to read at the school. Students from Southland College Prep also joined the men in reading to students on Thursdays.

When the pandemic caused schools to switch to virtual learning, the Real Men Read program also went virtual, recording men reading and creating a video library of readers that was available to all of the district’s schools.

“We are thrilled that we have an opportunity to read to the children again in person,” Fountain said. “It is really wonderful to be able to come back together again in this beautiful new space where our children can read, learn and grow.”

The library at Matteson, one of the seven schools in south suburban Matteson 162 school district, was completely renovated and expanded this summer. The brand new furniture, book shelves, Lego walls and mobile work stations create an environment for children to read and also create, said Kisha Houston, Matteson’s principal.

“When we gift the joy of reading to our children, we ready them for a lifetime of success,” said Dr. Blondean Y. Davis, superintendent of Matteson School District 162 and CEO of Southland College Prep Charter High School. “We are excited about creating this new space for our students where they can be creative and explore the world through reading.”