COOK COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) – Students at Cook Elementary School now have a brand-new media center designed to spark a love for reading and help raise test scores.

The project was made possible through Georgia’s Literacy for Learning, Living, and Leading in Georgia (L4GA) grant, which funded a complete renovation of the school’s media center.

Principal Jennifer Green says the space is about much more than just new shelves and books.

“This is about more than bookshelves. It’s about giving kids a love of reading that will carry into their test scores, their confidence, and their futures,” Green said.

In Cook County, nearly 33% of elementary students read at or above grade level compared to Georgia’s statewide average of nearly 43% in 2024, according to the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. With the ultimate goal of improving these numbers, Cook County Elementary renovated its media center to be more kid-friendly.

Green added, “We feel that having the opportunity to engage our students in reading and putting books in their hands is going to directly impact our test scores. It’s going to give them feelings of confidence and more success, which is going to help them in all areas of academics.”

The updated center includes new technology, learning tools, and a layout built to engage every student, including those with learning challenges. One parent told WALB her daughter now feels more confident as a reader because of the inclusive design.

“She feels like she belongs here and that’s made a huge difference in how she sees herself as a reader,” the parent said.

From flexible seating to interactive displays, the space is meant to create an environment where students feel excited to pick up reading, while also giving teachers new ways to connect with children who may struggle with traditional methods.

Teachers say the new design is already helping students with learning challenges find new ways to read, even when it doesn’t come easily.

A national study estimates dyslexia affects 15–20% of the U.S. population. LauraLeigh Shealey, a Cook County parent of two children, said her family is part of that number, and their reading success depends on strengthening comprehension.

“My children have the type where you look at a word, or you look at individual letters, and you’re actually missing parts of the letter. And since I didn’t have it, I didn’t understand what my children were going through when they were learning how to read,” Shealey explained.

Shealey has since turned her children’s struggles into a mission to help others, leaving her 9-to-5 job to work at the new media center. She now encourages other parents to read at home and says the school library provides families with the tools to do it.

“There’s a lot of resources. That’s one of the reasons why I’m here, because this library really is the heart of the community,” Shealey said.

With the first nine weeks of school coming to an end on October 9th, teachers hope to see improvements not only in reading scores, but in student confidence and overall academic success.

WALB has been covering that effort closely and will continue to track how new investments like this one impact student achievement.

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