Farewell, Dornel
After countless years devoted to pursuing her passion, talking about and reading books, Dornel Cerro, Sequoyah’s beloved librarian, has decided to retire. In honor of the 20 years she's spent at our school, we at The Barefoot Times would like to honor her dedication and impact on Sequoyah by telling her story.
Growing up, Cerro’s passion for books was well known among her family and friends. As the years passed, her passion continued to grow and, after leaving for college, she began her journey of being a librarian by taking a part-time job at a local library. “Within an instant, I knew I had found the job for me,” she shared. Soon after, she discovered a small school with nearly 200 students. It was Sequoyah and, at the time, there was only one campus. “It was as if time went by so fast so quickly,” Cerro added. “Twenty years later, there’s two campuses and over 500 students!”
When asked about her experiences at Sequoyah, she enthusiastically explained , “It's been quite wonderful working at this school…In terms of my personal program, the library, there has been a tremendous amount of growth.” When The Barefoot Times asked about her favorite memory at Sequoyah, Cerro answered, ”Well, I have the fossil story, which I'm pretty sure everyone knows by now. This happened several years ago, when a group of small first graders walked into the library at lunch. They had found something out on the field that they thought was a dinosaur bone. I had figured it was a piece of bark at the time, so I said ‘Ok, how about we find that dinosaur book?’ So they took out all the dinosaur books to see if they could identify what fossil they had discovered. One of the students said ‘Look Dornel! It's this type of fossil!’ and I looked at it super closely and it was a piece of cat poo that had hardened up. The reason why I think this speaks to Sequoyah is because it shows the curiosity and determination of the students. They had also learned how to use the library to answer their questions.”
The Barefoot Times did not neglect to ask Cerro the most pressing question for any librarian: What is your favorite book? After careful consideration, Cerro explained that for the “smaller students, I always say Charlotte’s Web by ED White. However, my all time favorite is Dracula.” When it comes to her retirement, Cerro shared how bittersweet the situation seemed, and how she'll deeply miss both her “colleagues, students and that little place on the K-8 campus that used to be a church/children's chapel, which was my home for over 20 years.” Cerro’s plans after leaving Sequoyah are to “work on some things around my house and garden, take tai chi classes, leave on small trips with friends. However, I think I want to focus on finding something bigger than just keeping busy. I want something that gives me direction towards the rest of my life.”
Cerro’s departure will be felt deeply across both of Sequoyah’s campuses. Loella Kleiner ’27, noted that Cerro “always had a book recommendation, and every book she has recommended has always been something I loved. She’s also really good at knowing the person she’s talking to and finding the book that is really good for them. Kleiner’s favorite memory of Cerro was “when I was in seventh grade and, at the time, I was just getting into horror…I wanted to read my first Steven King book which was Pet Sematary. They didn't have it at the library so she actually ordered it for me which was really really sweet.” Meanwhile, Amelie Barajas ’27 shared that Cerro is “very sweet and calm…[and] runs the library really well, which is an important part of the school. When it comes to my favorite memory, I think I would say the time when she came to my humanities class and showed us all how to use the Internet library even though she had already shown the entire grade because it was really fun… we got to listen to some of her own personal stories.”
Both Kleiner and Barajas shared their gratitude for Cerro. When asked, “Is there anything you want her to know before she leaves?” Kleiner responded, “Just that we are really going to miss her.” Barajas, meanwhile, wanted Cerro to know that “I've only known you for a couple of months, but I'm really happy for your next chapter in your life and hope you do some really fun things during your retirement. You are the best librarian I've had and the Sequoyah community is really going to miss you.”
The impact Dornel Cerro has had on Sequoyah’s legacy is irreplaceable and deeply valued. The growth of our school has relied on the faithful faculty and staff who’ve believed in the school and its cause, just as she has. The entirety of Sequoyah’s faculty and students wish Cerro a wonderful retirement filled with peace, celebration, and joyful experiences.