In a partnership with the Bagdad Historical Society, Bagdad Elementary School unveiled a ‘Little Free Library’ in front of the building in celebration of Florida’s Literacy Week, January 25 through 29.
The little free library, which is modeled after the Old Bagdad Post Office, allows students and residents to take a book and return a book throughout the day. County residents may already be aware of other little library locations within county, near the school district’s administrative building on Canal Street and the Tastee Freez restaurant on U.S. Highway 90 in Milton.
In addition to offering a free service to local families, Bagdad Elementary School Assistant Principal Tiphanie Sapp said the process of developing the little library allowed students to learn about Bagdad’s history.
“Being how we are a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) school, we thought this would be a good projects for our ACES (Academic, Creative Education for Students) to have this opportunity to work with Mr. Johnson to create (this),” Sapp said.
Michael Johnson, president of the Bagdad Village Preservation Association, Inc., worked with ACES students in coming up with the overall design of the little library while he built the structure.
“Within this replica, there is pieces of everyone of our (ACES) student’s work,” Sapp said.
Johnson said there are more little library locations in the works for the Bagdad area which will continue to feature Bagdad’s historical structures.
“What we are going to do is feature a historical structure in Bagdad, but it won’t be in front of that structure. It will be in front of another historic structure,” Johnson said. "We are going to put them where streetlights are (located) and where there is pavement, so people could even come at night time and exchange their books.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Bagdad Elementary celebrates Literacy Week with 'Little Free Library'