On Feb. 12, the Morris Knolls library was excited to host their “Book Date” event to celebrate Valentine’s Day and  introduce students to new books. Organized by Ms. Pepperman and Ms. Mangels, this was one of many literacy events that they have been hosting at the library every month. Ms. Pepperman explained the impetus behind these events saying she wants to give teenagers “just a place to come and relax.” Students need to find time in their busy schedules to do that particularly when school gets overwhelming, especially for seniors preparing for college. 

Freshman Madison Lynar spent her time at the event reading “More Than Just A Pretty Face” by Syed M. Masood. She found out about the event “through my English class and through the library website.” At the event, students like Madison found books to read through Book Dating Profiles organized by the library staff. The heart-shaped recommendations included a quick review of the book, the genre, author, and more.  Once they decided what to read, students like Cassidy Kot served themselves hot chocolate (until they ran out of cups), and relaxed with their books until the end of the lunch block.

Some students even made progress on their “Literacy Passports.” The passports were introduced at the beginning of the school year as a kick off to this year’s literacy initiative.  Students have been earning points throughout the year for various reasons such as finishing independent reading books, attending literacy events and/or library council meetings, receiving caught reading cards, and more.

The points will benefit students in a raffle for a trip to attend ”The Outsiders” musical. In anticipation, January’s literacy event included popcorn and a showing of “The Outsiders” movie.

Be sure to stop by the library on March 12th during lunch for “Bite-Sized Books,” where students can get a taste of treats and new books!