Glenbard West teacher receives $1,000 grant

Glenbard West High School English teacher Kimberly Gwizdala recently received a $1,000 grant from Book Love Foundation to buy books for her classroom library.

In awarding the grant, the foundation said Gwizdala "demonstrated a commitment to creating both a classroom library that is representative of the world and the leadership to move education toward equity."

Gwizdala has a strong awareness of current diverse titles and a passion for sharing those titles with her students in a quest to make them lifelong readers, Glenbard High School District 87 officials said.

In recent years, she has re-imagined her teaching practices to include daily independent reading. She said the decision to give time in class for the sole purpose of reading for pleasure was the start of a reading journey that has fundamentally changed her as a teacher.