Collegewood Celebrates Librarian's 40 Years of Dedication

Barbara Morton got called to the principal’s office at Collegewood Elementary School Wednesday, but she wasn’t in trouble.  

As the Walnut campus’ librarian crossed the playground, she was greeted with a stream of 654 students pouring out of classrooms singing an altered version of a Black Eyed Peas song and waving books. 

Click here to see a video of the flash mob. 

After 40 years with the Walnut Valley Unified School District, 38 of those at Collegewood, Morton is retiring.  

“This is going to be my all-time favorite memory,” she said.  “This was really a surprise.”  

Morton said she is an accidental librarian of sorts. 

She was volunteering at Evergreen Elementary School where her children went when the community club president there asked her to become the librarian chairman for a year.  

One day the then principal at Evergreen, Truman Collins, suggested she and another volunteer go to the district and apply for a job that actually pays, Morton said.  

Four decades later, she was still at it.  

“I’ve always felt I had a good relationship with the kids,” Morton said.  “I can’t get mad at them.”  

Collegewood Principal Joan Perez presented Morton certificates of appreciation for service from the Walnut Valley Unified School District, the California Legislature, and the State Senate.  Morton also received a watch. 

“She has read to over 20,000 children,” Perez said.  “Isn’t that amazing? And with that comes a lot of wisdom.”  

Morton said one of her favorite books is “Dewey: There’s a Cat in the Library!” by Vicki Myron.

The events in the book really happened, she said.  

“I love telling the kids it’s a true story, and they just love that,” she said.  

First-grade teacher Laura O’Donnell fought back tears at the celebration for Morton.  

When she was a new teacher, Morton extending a helping hand to O’Donnell and made sure she had all of the books she needed.  

Morton made learning about books, from identifying the title page to introducing them to new authors, fun for the children, she said.

“When we go to the library, the kids go bananas,” O’Donnell said.  “She really hooks them.  She has been a fantastic colleague and friend to all of us.”