Three-year funding injection bolsters Rutherford Elementary library

A small portion of the funds will come in the form of a cheque, which the school can use to host literacy-related events, including author visits.

The majority will be through money to use with Indigo to purchase books online or in person at Chapters.

After reopening to students in September 2025, Rutherford’s collection was comprised of books offered by other SD68 schools.

Principal Mike Lundine said the money is a significant boost to their library budget, with new schools afforded no additional resources to build a collection.

“It will allow us to sort of catch up, it gets us to a place where we are all of a sudden very quickly a mature, thriving library.”

Lundine said the library is the hub of the school, one of the few facilities on site where every student regularly interacts.

He credited Rounis for making the library feel special during the school’s first year, ensuring it was open during recess every day and even before school.

“Every kid gets a chance at some point, whether they’re in kindergarten or grade seven, to go through the library, get lessons from our teacher-librarian, or simply check out books. Because every child goes in there, we need to make sure that it’s a place where every child feels welcome and included, so we have books for 13-year-olds as well as books for five-year-olds.”

It’s helped grow a sense of community for the upstart school.

Lundine said staff came together in September to chart a course forward to create a cohesive environment for children, parents, and caregivers, saying they’d been able to achieve around 85 to 90 per cent of what they set out to do.

Work will continue building the community around the school in future years, but the early signs are positive given engagement from students and families so far.

“That is evidenced by how many parents come here in the mornings and stand in our parking lot and stay to visit or chat within the park with their preschoolers. I think it’s evidence of how many parents that we have coming out to attend events we host or to athletic events after school.”

More details on the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation are available here.

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by Alex Rawnsley

Three-year funding injection bolsters Rutherford Elementary library

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