On December 10, 2025, the new Eleanor Roosevelt High School library was unveiled, with many PGCPS members, organizations, teachers, and students attending the ceremony. The ERHS library was the 45th out of 48 libraries to be renovated in the PGCPS district, as part of a project sponsored by the organization Heart of America.
Adekemi Akande, a senior student, shares how excited she is and how the brightness and lightness when you walk into the library make her “want to come every single day to study and read more books.” There are many new sections and brand-new books for students to check out, and spaces that allow students to relax and have some “more productive space and time” to get some work done.
Many students, like junior Jason Jackatey, came to to the library to volunteer during the course of the renovation, helping move out items and carrying boxes full of books. “I packed up the old books and had to take everything out of the library, and then back into the library” to be reorganized.” He feels sure that “all the stuff added will help unify Roosevelt and make it a better place” for students to feel more comfortable and have a relaxing time outside of class.
ERHS Librarian Tammi Tatro expressed profound excitement about the new library. Tatro is most excited about the “different seating that’s going to be provided… It’s going to be a more multi use space.” In addition, the library is providing students with improved technology, such as a new 3D printer and a poster maker. Of the technology, Tatro says, “I’m hoping it’s going to be really user-friendly, student-centered, and more people come in and use it.”
The library renovations were done through a grant from and partnership with Heart of America (HOA), a DC-based charity that works with communities to increase access to education. Coquette Patrella, Supervisor of PGCPS Library Services, worked closely with HOA, saying, “I am very thankful for the opportunity that [HOA] saw a need to invest in our libraries.” Each new library, Patrella explains, is “the hub of the school, and it’s providing students the opportunity to be creative, innovative in the space where they come together with their peers and collaborating on projects coming in there, doing research, etc.”
The newly renovated library represents an exciting investment in ERHS that students should take advantage of. See below for photos at all stages of the renovation!
