Kathy Reinheimer first came to ACS as a parent to enroll her daughters, Heather and Holly, in elementary school in 1973, just two years after ACS opened its doors in the Parish House at St. John’s By the Sea Reformed Episcopal Church in Ventnor, New Jersey. Nearly 40 years later, Mrs. Reinheimer returned to ACS, coming out of retirement as a public school librarian and volunteering for the past nine years to help expand and modernize the ACS school library.
Mrs. Reinheimer has been diligently giving of her time and valuable skills once or twice a week in the library since 2012, cataloging, covering, and labeling hundreds of books that have made their way onto the library shelves. She has also donated supplies and equipment for the library, including a computer and printer.
“The students and the faculty at ACS are wonderful and I feel like I’m part of a family here,” Mrs. Reinheimer said. “When I look back at the early days of the school in the 1970s, I am amazed to see God’s hand of blessing on ACS. I never imagined we would have a campus like this.”
The spring 2020 outbreak of the coronavirus has not hampered Mrs. Reinheimer’s efforts. She has been diligently working from home, going through boxes of donated books to review and catalog them in the school’s online cataloging system.
While Mrs. Reinheimer takes pride in seeing the school’s library holdings grow to over 10,000 books and other media materials, her favorite part of volunteering in the school library is reading to the students during Storytime.
“I really enjoy interacting with the students and seeing that little glimmer of excitement in their eyes when they hear something in a story that broadens their horizons,” Mrs. Reinheimer said. “And it doesn’t matter how old a student is, there’s something special about hearing a story read out loud that draws everyone in.”
ACS Library and Media Specialist Rhapsody Hahn-Chaney, who oversees the daily operations of the library, considers Mrs. Reinheimer “the unsung hero of the ACS library.”
“We are fortunate to have a beautifully updated and well-organized library at ACS and it’s thanks to volunteers like Kathy and her husband, Ed, who are so generous with their time and resources,” Hahn-Chaney said.
Mrs. Reinheimer came to serve at ACS after a 35-year career in education. She served as a librarian for 18 years — three years at the H. Russell Swift Elementary School in Egg Harbor Township and 15 years at the Egg Harbor Township High School. She began her career in the 1970s as a kindergarten teacher at the McKee City School in Egg Harbor Township. She holds a BA in K-8 education and a Master’s in library science, both from Rowan University.
