New Library Helps Students Navigate Emotional Challenges

Students at Charlevoix Elementary School now have a new centralized source of tools to help them learn, self-regulate, and explore their emotions, thanks to the recently completed social-emotional learning library, made possible through a partnership between Charlevoix Public Schools and the Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix.

In October 2024, Great Lakes Energy’s People Fund awarded a $1,000 grant to the Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix to help fund the project, which also received financial support from the Charlevoix County Community Foundation and the Kiwanis Children’s Fund International.

The newly opened library is designed to support students’ emotional well-being and help them build essential life skills such as self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and responsible decision-making. To accomplish this, the library incorporates a wide range of resources that go far beyond what might typically be found on traditional library bookshelves. Inside, students will find carefully selected books, digital tools, sensory swings, body socks, flexible seating options, fidget tools, reflection journals, and
restorative practice materials.

Rita Moore, who serves not only as secretary for the Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix but also on the committee that helped the school develop the library, said the club’s support for the project grew out of its longstanding mission to support children’s literacy in the community.

Rita said that as the club reached out to school staff about their book needs, a clear trend emerged: a need for materials that support children’s emotional needs. In collaboration with school staff, these discussions gave rise to the idea of creating a central location where these books and other tools could be stored, cataloged,
and checked out.

Charlevoix Elementary School Kindergarten Teacher Ericka Mitchell, who is a member of the school’s behavioral intervention team, said the library’s inventory was heavily influenced by teacher input on trends they are seeing in student behavioral needs and the tools they are using in their classrooms to support those needs.

Alecia Ahles-Moore, the school’s psychologist and a fellow school intervention team member, said the library is aimed at a whole-child approach in supporting students who are struggling with behavior or engagement issues.

Some of the topics the books cover include: emotional regulation, anxiety and coping skills, friendship and social skills, focus and attention, big feelings and behavior support, and unique life situations.

“Many of the books focus on helping students understand their emotions and teaching them the skills to regulate them in a developmentally appropriate way,” Alecia said. “We are seeing a lot of success when we align the right tool with a student’s specific needs.”

Ericka added that, in practice, the program will provide teachers or parents with a “try-before-you-buy” opportunity. They’ll be able to check out a book or tool tailored to a student’s specific need. If the checked-out item is successful, the school has money in place to purchase one for the student. If the item isn’t successful, it will be returned to the library, and other options can be explored.

Although the school marked the library’s official opening with a special ribbon-cutting event on March 5, 2026, Ericka said teachers have been using some of the books and tools for several months.

“Having these resources in one place allows us to quickly match the right support to the right child, and we’re already seeing how powerful that can be in helping students regulate, reconnect, and return to learning.”

The social-emotional learning library isn’t the first time the People Fund has supported the Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix’s efforts to enhance literacy at Charlevoix Elementary School. The club used another People Fund grant in 2022 to help bring a book vending machine to the school. The vending machine allows students to redeem tokens awarded by school staff for anything from earning good grades to demonstrating good behavior for a book of their choosing.

Founded in 1934, the Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix is active in many community-building activities. On average, club members provide nearly 400 hours of community service work per month.