The
wednesday, october 2, 2013
Evergreen
features
11
Little library, big changes Varun Gupta
Asst. Features Editor
Last spring, Head Librarian Donna Woody and her co-workers obtained permission from Head of School Scott Griggs to redesign the Lower School Library, now called the Lower School Commons. The space, reorganized over the summer, features a SMART Board, Puppet theater, and comfortable seating arrangement, to encourage literary learning and peer-to-peer interaction. “I think the way people learn is through a social activity, by reflecting and sharing ideas, and working as a team,” Mrs. Woody said. On a Thursday afternoon, a class of 12 Lower School students brought their pleasant chuckles and wild spirits to the library, where half sat on the couches and the rest on a colorful rug. Children recited their favorite lines from Dr. Seuss and facts from Guinness World Records. A year ago, multi-leveled bookshelves lined the room, but now this clutter has moved to the main room of the Montgomery library. Instead of a maze of books, the Lower School Commons incorporates a reading area, desks for classroom lectures, and communal storytime seating. “I think [the redesigned library] reflects what our school is, more than what we were doing in the past,” said Mrs. Woody. Greenhill’s shift mirrors a trend in libraries today. A group of three second grade students praised the yellow plush sofas and carpeted steps that create an amphitheater semi-circle as their favorite additions to the space. According to Lower School Librarian Carrie Martin, the carpeted amphitheater-style steps help kids stay focused when she’s reading a story or giving presentations. Lower School students can use
photos by Varun Gupta
READING ROCKS: Second graders read in comfort in the Lower School Commons (top). Fourth graders utilize new library Netbooks for data analysis (left). The carpeted amphitheatre is used for storytime (right).
the main (Montgomery) library to flip through junior fiction and nonfiction titles. Moving the books out of the Lower School Commons,
Cason Wetherill said. According to Mrs. Martin, Lower School students like feeling included with older kids. They are also learning bigkid skills to be prepared for diving into class projects. Mrs. Woody introduced a new scheduling system, called Flexible-Access, letting teachers bring their students into the library. Fourth Grade Fellow Emily Kane communicates weekly with Mrs. Martin, as part of this program, to create lesson plans. According to Mrs. Martin, her role is to educate students on ways of using technology and literary strategies as a benefit in the classroom. On a Friday morning, a class of fourth graders learned strategies for organizing data, using a program called Live Binder. A movable SMART Board and cart of Notebook computers provided students with individual learning tools to follow along with Mrs. Martin. “We can have multiple things going on at once and the library is big enough to accommodate multiple classes at a time,” Mrs. Martin said. For example, along with classroom activities, the librarians might have puppet shows for the Child Development Center kids in a corner of the room. Mrs. Martin’s personal office has also become a learning center with a pulldown screen that provides an additional mode for projecting presentation slides. According to Mrs. Woody, all of the changes have received positive feedback. She said she is happy with the results. “The literary program for each school level helps foster the children’s love for reading, which helps motivate them to be lifelong learners and they continue to be interested in books,” said Mrs. Kane.
means there is a larger selection to choose from, and students can check out higher-level reading with permission.
“I like the new arrangement, since the old one had books everywhere and now the books are organized better,” fourth grader
landscapes,” Zayna said of her drawing class next trimester, “and draw more of people than their profiles.” Zayna has an affinity for drawing portraits of people and practices the common habit drawers have of doodling on all available surfaces. “My favorite thing about drawing is probably being able to express yourself,” Zayna said animatedly, “and the satisfaction you get when one of your drawings turns out well, and just being able to create something in your own vision.” Zayna beams when she describes celebrating Eid al-Fitr, a religious holiday commemorating the end of Ramadan, with her family. The Syed household leaves school and work to attend services in the morning and eat dinner with friends in the evening, sometimes enjoying a potluck at her grandparents’ ranch. “It’s a celebration after a hard month,” Zayna said. “It is quite beautiful to know you achieved something and to be able to sit back and enjoy that achievement.”
ICE PRINCESS: Freshman Zayna Syed poses with her ice-skating coach and team after medaling in an ice-skating competition. She recently competed in the Ice Skating Institute Worlds Competition in California.
In the Spotlight
We continue our “In the Spotlight” series, a chance to get to know one randomly-selected Upper School student each issue. Our third conversation was with freshman Zayna Syed. “Zayna is Arabic for ‘beauty,’” she said with a smile. Freshman Zayna Syed incorporates beauty throughout her life. She brings her perspective into her hobbies, her sports, and her faith. Zayna speaks fondly of her times at the Muslim Youth of North America camp, an organization that strives to create a diverse network of youth fostering North American Muslim Culture. There, Zayna gets her feet wet canoeing and swimming, as well as rock climbing and participating in workshops. “We put on a talent show at the end of camp, which is hilarious,” Zayna said, mentioning that she met Hebah Khan ‘13 there, who is on the MYNA National Executive Committee. Her best memories of camp are centered around the
people she meets there, which holds true for other parts of her life. “I’ve met a lot of friends ice skating,” Zayna said. This year she went to California for Ice Skating Institute Worlds Competition. She stayed with her family and friends in the same hotel, prepping together for the competition and helping each other slip on costumes and put on makeup. “I like competing,” Zayna said. “Over winter break, I do the Christmas Show at the Galleria. [This year] we have these fat Santa suits we wear.” (The Galleria Christmas show is featured during the Macy’s Grand Tree Lighting Celebration that runs from late November until Christmas every year.) Zayna started skating when she was eight. “It combines skill, stamina, grace, and it’s a beautiful sport,” Syed said. “If that sounds cheesy then I’m sorry, but it is.” Just as figure skating has been a part of her life since early childhood, Zayna has been drawing ever since she can remember. “I hope to learn how to do
story by Isabet Tranchin
Photo courtesy of Zayna Syed