Coffee, tea, and lots of reading

National Library Week 2014

Principal Pam Bylsma helps serve coffee, cocoa, and tea to students for Read-a-Latte.

Cameron Bolton, Staff Reporter

In honor of National Library Week from Monday, April 14, to Tuesday, April 17, the library put together several activities for kids to enjoy. In order to participate the kids came down to the library during their study halls or in some cases their English classes to do the daily event and win a prize.

“We do it every year, it’s a  national library holiday.  This year, we decided to do it our own way.  We decided to do activities in which everyone felt welcome,” librarian Kirsten Rusinak said.

On Monday students and staff had the opportunity to enjoy a small muffin, donut, hot chocolate or all three. But in order to get the goodies they would had to go on a walk through the library while looking for a book that they had read and would recommend to someone. Then they would fill out a sheet for book recommendations.

On Tuesday, in order to win a prize, all you had to do was read. Students would have to have read for the majority of the period. They even had the chance to get comfortable by lying down on a table or the couches or in any position that they wanted.

For Wednesday, students needed to take not one or two but three quizzes. The first and third quiz related to the library specifically while the second was about the books that students would have had the chance to read.

Unlike the other days, on Thursday, the event was scheduled during all lunches.  If the kids were to stop by on that day they would have had the chance to watch a series of book trailers and enjoy some popcorn that the librarians handed out.  According to Rusinak, book trailers are like movie trailers for books that are Abraham Lincoln award nominees, which represent best books for teen readers.

“Next year, when we vote a lot of kids would have exposure to to some of them,” Rusinak said.

Rusinak hoped students got a lot out of the week.

“Even if all they gained was [that] this was the first time this year that they went to the library, [that] is a good thing.  Just coming here and realizing it’s a fun place is beneficial,” she said.