Del Val’s media center, the Commons, opens a new chapter as it introduces a new book collection that consists of 20 Spanish language books for students to choose from.

These books were selected by Vanessa Jacinto Martinez, a recent Del Val graduate, and ordered by Tracy Miceli, Del Val’s media center specialist, in hopes of supporting multilingual students. The process began last school year and the books are now available for checkout.

“We didn’t have a single book in Spanish,” Miceli said. “We also didn’t have a big multilingual contingency here.”

According to Debra Billmann, Del Val English as a Second Language teacher, there has been a 170% increase in native Spanish-speaking students at Del Val since 2020, meaning more students are in need of Spanish-language books.

As a member of the Commons Student Advisory Group, Jacinto was able to communicate her concerns to Miceli about the lack of literature available for multilingual students like herself.

“We didn’t have the resources because we didn’t have the program before,” Miceli said. “But now the students drive the program here at our school.”

Jacinto and Miceli began working together, determined to fill that gap and improve the services in the school. Jacinto reflected on her past reads to put together an expansive list of books for the collection, including a variety of genres and authors.

After months of waiting for their arrival, the books were delivered and ready to be added to the Common’s catalog.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint, any new kind of endeavor that you try to do anywhere,” Miceli said. “You just have to remember it’s going to take a little bit of time and not to get discouraged.”

There are completed series as well as stand-alone books for students to enjoy. Although the books have not been in the Commons for long, positive results are already being seen. Britney Peña Guevara, a new Spanish-speaking sophomore at Del Val, is excited that these books were added since she has struggled with the lack of Spanish resources at her previous schools.

“There are a lot of kids that sometimes come from other countries and can’t read in English,” Guevara said. “So I feel this is something very good because it’s going to help many people, including me.”

The addition of these books is going to create a positive change for not only Spanish-speaking students, but also those taking Spanish classes.

“The books can also help people who want to learn the language,” Guevara said. “The more we read, the more we are learning because books are a fountain of nutrition for the brain.”

Every Del Val student has access to these books, regardless of whether they are learning Spanish for the first time, already a fluent speaker or simply want to try something new.

“It’s important to make sure that all of our students are getting the resources that they need,” Miceli said. “If this collection is going to get more students to read, and help those in the transition from speaking Spanish to learning English, then I would be happy to order as many books as possible.”

To read this article in Spanish, click here.

This story was originally published on The Delphi on September 29, 2025.