Champions for Education

Emil and Julie Michael created a gift fund to provide books and other resources for the K-12 libraries at The School at Marygrove. Located on the former campus of Marygrove College in Detroit, The School at Marygrove is a public elementary and secondary school that is part of the Marygrove Learning Community (MLC). The MLC is the result of a private-public partnership between the Marsal Family School of Education, the Detroit Public Schools Community District, and the Kresge Foundation that provides education and family services that support the success of Detroit children from prenatal through college and career.

The School at Marygrove includes three beautiful library spaces across its two buildings: two newly renovated spaces in the elementary school and a refinished space in the middle and high school building that maintains the original architecture and built-in shelving of the previous college library. The MLC staff lacked the robust book budget required to build a K-12 school library collection from scratch. The private-public partnership supporting the MLC proved crucial, providing an invitation for donors like the Michaels to help close the gap.

Libraries, of course, are more than warehouses for books. At their best, libraries—especially those serving young people—are welcoming, inclusive, playful, and joyful invitations to reading, writing, connecting, learning, and changemaking. Libraries do more than put books into the hands of children; they support children in growing their identities as readers.

The vision for the developing libraries at The School at Marygrove strives toward these goals. At the elementary school, a picture book library also labeled a "healing space" features a carefully curated collection of books selected to affirm and honor children's identities and the diverse experiences, stories, and wonders they deserve to experience in and through reading. Shelves with labels like "Gardens grow community," "Indigenous stories matter," and "We let ourselves grieve," group books together in ways that invite children and their teachers to access books that support their academic learning in a place-based curriculum, as well as their social, emotional, and mental health and wellbeing.

A second floor elementary library for chapter books just opened to children this school year. Both library spaces include flexible and comfortable opportunities for children to cuddle comfortably with books, stuffed animals, and friends. The vision is for children to create reading memories that allow them to connect to themselves, to others, and to the world both within and beyond the city of Detroit.

The middle and high school library, designed to serve grades 6-12, is growing its collection of both fiction and nonfiction, with a particularly robust collection of books by Black authors and those featuring Detroit stories and history. Through a QR code posted at the doorway, young people are invited to recommend books that they believe would strengthen the collection. Making sure the students feel a sense of ownership and belonging over the titles provided to them and their peers is a key part of the vision and mission of the library.

Carla Shalaby, lead MLC partner at the elementary school, says, "Those of us at the Marsal Family School of Education who staff this partnership are lucky enough to be reminded daily, in our interactions with Detroit children and families, that they deserve the world. What better way to give it to them than in and through the power of books? Gifts from private donors like the Michaels allow us to say to these students that there are people literally all over this country who believe that access to books is a pillar of a great education—a right—and they are stepping up to promise that right."

"Carla's dedication to her students, their families, and to her profession as a whole has always been an inspiration to us," says Julie Michael. "When she sounded the call for help in filling the school's library shelves, we knew we wanted to do more. So often, the less-than-exciting items are the last to be funded but in this case, that was the software that enabled the students to check out a book. We wanted to ensure that the books and stories Carla has so carefully gathered could make their way into the homes of these children. With this gift, we hope that becomes a possibility."

For four decades, Jane (BSEd '67) and Bill (BS '66) Stocklin have included U-M among the organizations they support. As Jane considered how they could make the most impact through their giving, she decided to focus on making larger, strategic gifts to fewer organizations.

Although living 2,000 miles away from Ann Arbor, the west coast couple has stayed connected with the university. As proud Wolverines, they love hearing about the latest ways that the U-M community is making a difference. And they have a deep regard for educators.

In spring 2024, the Stocklins established the Jane Warnke Stocklin and William Stocklin Scholarship Fund to support undergraduate and graduate students with financial need preparing to teach in the elementary grades.

Jane explains, "I have two grown sons and when I think of their teachers in K-6 who were loving, competent, encouraging, fun, inspiring, and who embraced each of my children for the evolving individuals they presented at the time, I am filled with gratitude. I would love to fund a million of those teachers. All children deserve that from their classroom teachers."

Jane isn't the only one in the family who recognizes the power of a great education. The inclusion of her maiden name in the title of the scholarship is a tribute to her parents who she says worked very hard and were dedicated to sending Jane and her sister to college. They both attended the University of Michigan. "They were very proud of this and I know they would be very proud of this scholarship," Jane says. Jane's sister has also funded scholarships at U-M, including at the Marsal Family School of Education.

The Stocklins were eager to make a gift at a time when the Marsal School offered a gift matching initiative to augment the size of scholarship donations.

"It will give me great pleasure to know I am helping a very specific person realize their dream of becoming a teacher and dedicating themselves to making a difference for young children. I also hope my gift will help them internalize the significance of the impact they can make each day, not only for a child but for the family of that child," Jane says. "You never know if what you do or what you say will remain and make a huge difference in the years to come. That is the power of a good teacher."