THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, August 25, 2017
ASKS | from page 6
also said they had re-enactors from the Salem Trayned Band and that they would love to participate too. So, that was great. And they had bins of dress-up clothing reflective of the Colonial period. And there was ice cream donated by the Big Y. So, that was great. Q: So, you’re kind of bringing that reading to life. The kids are going out and getting feel for what they’re reading about. And even though there was a threat of rain that day, it was a pretty good turnout. A: Oh yes. There were over 200 people there. So, that was a great turnout. In fact some guy from the National Park Service said it was one of the best programs they’ve had there in several years. And, the New Friends got period costumes for the kids. So, when I went around the schools for the Summer Reading Program, the kids tried on the costumes. Again, this was something we did to try to bring the reading to life for them. A lot of the families went and visited historic sites, settings, or went into Boston and saw the statues of the ducklings and went to John Adams place. Q: Sounds like there were a lot of spinoffs of the program? A: Yes, it was a great thing. Q: Learning about Massachusetts history … A: Yes. We had other things, like involvement of the Saugus Garden Club, and some of the plants that were tied to Massachusetts history. Like the English when they came and didn’t recognize the gardens of the Native Americans, because they were so different. Q: Back to the Summer Reading Program, you had a lot of people involved. And what were some of the other highlights for the summer? A: The Saugus Cultural Council funded a magician that came to visit. And he was part of her End of Summer Reading Program party. And we were very grateful for receiving ice cream that made the events a little more fun for the kids.
Q: And the kangaroo guy? A: Oh yea, Nature Nick was funded by The New Friends. Q: And that was all part of the reading program? A: Yes. Q: So, you had quite a few guests that were part of the program. Right? A: Yes. Several guests and several programs. We had a play and some things for the kids to do during the summer. Q: This is your second time with the Summer Reading Program. Right? A: Yes. Q: So, how do you measure the success of a program like this? A: One thing that I was pleased about this year is that we had more books available for the patrons. The decision to have the American Revolution as a theme came late in the year (last year). So, we knew it was coming. So, we were prepared in programing and sewing. The volunteers sewed the costumes by hand. That was months in the making. So, we had time to prepare a more robust program and think about ways to support this idea
of the American Revolution and how to bring it to life for them. So, that was great. So, when we did it last year, we found out about it in late spring. And they hired me in March. And I didn’t find out about it til April. So, we just had a month or two to get some books out there. But this year, we had a lot more books. So, that was good. We had a lot
more to choose from. So, I was glad about that, for sure. Resources were more robust than the previous year. Q: So, as you look back, how do you assess success? A: How do I assess it? I guess one of the things that made me happy personally was that I had done some outreach in the schools and I said, ‘Now come to
Page 7 the library and be sure to say Hi.’ And a lot of kids said‘Hi.’and‘You were at my school.’ So, we established a bit of a relationship, which was nice. So, they would kind of know who the librarian was in town and they would introduce themselves and they’d say ‘I saw you at my school.’ So,
ASKS | SEE PAGE 8
Overnight Detailing Too busy during the day? We work at night! Drop off by 5:00 PM - Pick up at 8:00 AM 110 Frank Bennett Hwy. Rte. 1 North, Saugus
781-233-1633
Summer is Here!
WINDOW TINTING INSTALLATION Get Your Car, Truck, or SUV Ready for the Season!