A Rogers middle school that reopened this fall after sustaining severe storm damage last year has received a $20,000 grant to help restock its library, including Spanish-language books lost in the disaster.
Greer Lingle Middle School was among the Rogers School District campuses heavily damaged during the 2024 Memorial Day weekend storms that spawned multiple tornadoes across north Arkansas. The school sustained about $18 million in damage, district communications director Jason Ivester said. Students spent the 2024-2025 school year in temporary classroom trailers before returning to the renovated building in August.
On Tuesday, Library Media Specialist Tara Herbert accepted a $20,000 Beyond Words grant from Dollar General representatives. The money will replenish the library’s collection of Spanish-language books and support its graphic novel section. Herbert said the grant is particularly important because the school, which serves nearly 700 students, has a large Spanish-speaking population.
Herbert, who has worked at the school for 19 years, said it was heartbreaking to see the library’s destruction after the storm.
“I’ve spent a lot of years and a lot of time building this space up and so it was heartbreaking to see all the things that I had created throughout the years gone,” Herbert said. “It’s kind of exciting now because it’s like a blank slate in here and we’re starting new and can do things in a different new way.”
The school is awaiting reimbursement from its insurance company, which will determine how much money may be awarded from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Ivester said. Renovation expenses have been temporarily covered by the district’s building fund.
Insurance premiums for schools across the country have risen in the wake of natural disasters, including the storms that destroyed Wynne High School in 2023. Ivester said the Rogers district’s premiums increased “quite considerably” last year but will remain steady at about $1.97 million for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. The deductible, however, has doubled from $25,000 to $50,000.
Renovations at Greer Lingle Middle School are continuing, including construction of a storm safe room in the new fine arts building. The project is expected to be completed in November, when the district plans to host an official grand opening.
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