MADISON – Kerry McMillen always has a book to read – at school, home, on vacation and while lending a hand to a child who is exploring all the options that a book can offer. McMillen is 2022 “Staff Member of the Year” at Heritage Elementary School.

Directly after college, McMillen taught sixth grade for several years in Milton, Fla. before deciding to become a stay-at-home mom. She started working for Madison City Schools as Heritage’s library aide in 2017.

“I’m a huge reader, and I love books and connecting over books. My philosophy is that all children can learn to love to read; they just have to find the right book. I want the library to be a warm and welcoming place that students want to come to,” McMillen said.

McMillen enjoys working with reluctant readers and helping them find books they want to read. “When they come back to me and ask for another book by an author I’ve recommended or the second book in a series that I’ve recommended, then I know that I have been successful,” she said.

McMillen’s hometown is New Albany, Miss. She graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

Also a Mississippi State Bulldog fan, her husband Mark is a MSU graduate and works as a controls engineer with Logical Systems Inc. Kerry and Mark’s daughters are Hannah, a Troy University graduate who works as a nurse at Tennessee Valley Pain Center in Huntsville, and Allie, a senior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham majoring in business/digital marketing.

Most people don’t realize that Kerry is a devoted Elvis Presley fan. “I’ve been to Graceland many, many times, and I have over 100 books about Elvis! I can’t wait for the new movie coming out in June about him,” Kerry said.

Kerry’s hobbies are reading and traveling. “I’m always planning our next trip/vacation. And I’m always reading a book – always,” she said.