Washington, DC (Nov. 20, 2025) Heart of America (HOA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming learning spaces for underserved students since 1997, and Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) in Maryland, today announced the opening of the newly transformed Bonnie F. Johns Educational Media Center, a professional development hub designed to inspire and empower educators across the district.
The transformation of the Bonnie F. Johns Educational Media Center is part of HOA’s multi-million-dollar, year-long initiative to transform 47 libraries throughout the district. This initiative is one of the most significant public-private partnerships focused exclusively on revitalizing public school libraries.
The newly renovated educational media center stands as the crowning achievement in the districtwide HOA initiative. The reimagined educational media center will serve the entire district by training future librarians and educators, fostering a culture of professional learning, collaboration, and innovation, and ensuring that highly skilled professionals staff every PGCPS library.
“To truly transform educational experiences for students, we must also invest in the educators who lead them,” said Jill Hardy Heath, HOA President and CEO. “This new professional training hub is more than a renovation; it’s a reimagination of how schools can nurture teachers’ creativity and collaboration. By creating a space that invites connection, exploration, and professional growth, we’re helping ensure that every educator has the tools and inspiration to make lasting change in their classrooms.”
The reimagined space blends HOA’s signature, nature-inspired design aesthetic with advanced technology to support training, workshops, and district-wide initiatives – transforming what was once a traditional administrative facility into an inviting, creative, and modern learning center.
The transformed space also features a variety of enhancements designed to create an inspiring, comfortable, and technology-rich environment. Updates include 30 new Chromebooks, refreshed paint and lighting, original artwork and murals that reflect the history and milestones of Prince George’s County, new desks and storage shelving, and flexible furniture solutions. A turtle tank aquarium adds a unique and welcoming touch, reinforcing the center’s goal of making professional learning both engaging and restorative.
“Thanks to our partnership with Heart of America, we’re reimagining learning spaces across Prince George’s County Public Schools,” said Dr. Shawn Joseph, Interim Superintendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools. “These transformed environments will empower our educators to collaborate, innovate, and feel deeply supported, while sparking curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning in our students. Together, we are shaping spaces that reflect our commitment to excellence and our belief that when teachers and students thrive, our entire community flourishes.”
Beyond its state-of-the-art resources, the media center transformation reflects PGCPS’s broader system-wide investment in equipping educators with the tools and training needed to support every student equitably across one of the nation’s most diverse public school districts. The center also plays a vital role in ensuring that all PGCPS libraries — not only the 46 newly transformed spaces — are staffed by professionally trained librarians who can deliver high-quality learning experiences for every student.
“I’m thrilled to showcase the transformation of our Professional Library—a space that has evolved from dark and cluttered to bright, modern, and inspiring,” said Catherine Francoeur, Instructional Assistant – Library Media. “Thanks to the leadership of the Office of Library Media and this incredible renovation, the library now reflects the creativity, collaboration, and innovation it was always meant to support.”
The redesign was completed in partnership with Pull Up Fund, the local philanthropic partner funding the larger initiative. Pull Up Fund, based in Prince George’s County, has deep local ties and a history of supporting a variety of educational, youth, and health development initiatives in historically excluded communities.
With the Bonnie F. Johns Educational Media Center reopening, HOA and PGCPS mark another milestone in their shared mission to reimagine educational environments and build system-level equity for students and educators alike.
Learn more in the HOA library transformation initiative Media Kit.
Media Contact:
Kelsey Rockey
krockey@heartofamerica.org
913-956-9959