Coloring books...they're EVERYWHERE!!!

Our Prep coloring book collection has a loyal following, so we know that you'll want to participate in the movement that has gained traction all over the world.  Museums and universities are making parts of their collections into free pdf coloring books!  In fact, February 1, 2016 began "Color our Collections Week", which was created by the New York Academy of Medicine.  If you color any of the online coloring pages, please post on Twitter, using the hashtag #ColorOurCollection. 


Here are some of the libraries participating in this event:

Baylor University (Armstrong Browning Library)

• Biodiversity Heritage Library (Event Homepage, Link to Images on Flickr)

• Bodleian Libraries (U. of Oxford) ||| Event Homepage

• Dittrick Medical History Center Rare Book Collections (Case Western Reserve University)

• Folger Shakespeare Library

• James Madison University

• New York Academy of Medicine

• New York Public Library

• The Open Library

• University of North Carolina Libraries

And here is a link to the Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/NYAMHistory/lists/colorourcollections/members
Happy coloring and have fun!
                                                                                     Mrs. Hodge

Guest Blogger: Bryce Lew

Bryce Lew (left) and Grady Willard (right)

This month, our guest blogger is Bryce Lew, class of 2015. Bryce is an advocate for
 -becoming involved wherever you are
-discovering your passions and strengths
-finding a way to create community in every setting
You can catch The Aloha Radio Variety Hour, a Radio show he co-produces on Friday evenings (7:00 pm Central Time)   - follow the link to listen live here: http://kdic.grinnell.edu/
Here is Bryce's post:

When Mrs. Eldridge asked me to write about "what I learned from the library," I really had to figure out the most important lessons that I gained from the library.  Throughout six years, I learned a lot from the many classes and lectures I attended in the library.  However, I was able to distill everything I learned into three major life lessons that I will always hold deeply to my heart as it shaped who I am as a person.

1. Always, always get involved.  Ever since I was in middle school, Mrs. Ursettie has encouraged me to try everything on campus.  She managed to get me involved by working backstage at Mr. Flintridge Prep to getting me to help out with the many JPDs.  Every experience I had working with her, I saw how involved and passionate she was to make sure that the show was great.  I was always so impressed by how she managed to involve so many students, and get everyone to work together to accomplish something big.  She showed me that you should always get involved, because when a lot of people work together for a common goal, you can accomplish a ton.
2. If there is ever anything you do not agree with, it is your responsibility to change it.  When I first got to Prep in middle school, there were no Macs available for student use.  Despite a large portion of the students being Mac people, the school only offered PC.  A group of friends and I complained profusely about this to our seventh grade composition teacher, Mrs. Eldridge.  She motivated us to create the club the “Library Advisory Council,” and we petitioned for the school to make Macs available for student usage.  The school listened and we got the MacBook Pros that are now available in the library.  Mrs. Eldridge motivated us all year long, and despite many road bumps, she always told us to keep trying.  She taught us that being passive and to only complain is something that will never benefit anyone.  By being proactive and fighting for what we believe in, LAC was able to accomplish so much and we owe everything to her.
3. Always trust the library.  Flintridge Prep’s library is special.  It acts as not only one of the largest resources on campus, but acts as the center of life on campus.  Mrs. Hodge can easily be the guide to anyone’s Prep experience.  She can give you advice on clubs to get involved in, she can help you start a club, she can connect you with students and faculty that she believes you work well with, and she can provide you with the motivation to accomplish anything.  Throughout my years at the library, Mrs. Hodge was always so supportive of all of my endeavors.  She provided me with advice with a voice of reason and made sure I never doubted myself.  She is the biggest resource at Prep and I am so glad that I was able to get to know her.

These three life lessons I will follow forever.  It goes without saying that the core to these three goals are Mrs. Ursettie, Mrs. Eldridge, and Mrs. Hodge.  They are so important to Flintridge Prep and we owe them so much.  So thank you for shaping my Prep experience, and I encourage anyone who has not gotten to know them to do so.  By getting to know them, I learned so much and could not imagine my Prep experience without them.

-Bryce Lew

class of 2015

Problem Solved

Dean, with his book, and friends.

Math has always been mysterious - at least in my world. Solutions and logic play hide and seek with me. So, when I heard that one of our students wrote a book about math, my ears went on full alert. Wow, right?
Here's Dean's story:

When I was younger, and just beginning to be enthralled by mathematics, I read a quotation attributed to Einstein which has fascinated me ever since, “Things should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” With this maxim, Einstein described perfectly the power of mathematical problem-solving – the ability to distill very complex scientific questions into simple problems with even simpler solutions, and to balance beautiful mathematical problems between recalcitrance and resolution, depending on the ingenuity of the problem solver.               

          I began reading math books in 4th or 5th grade, and became instantly enamored of the subject for both its elegance and harmony, as well as the rigor of problem-solving. My driving force was the distinctive “Aha!” feeling when I could see the critical insight that could make a complex problem comprehensible and solvable. Even more motivating than the glory of solving a problem, however, was the failure to do so. I found myself enjoying the words “How could I miss that!?” more than the word “Aha!”

          So thrilling were these feelings to me that I started to collect and even develop problems where clever intuition was key. Whenever a friend asked me why I enjoyed math as much as I do, I would use one of these problems to demonstrate the grace that I found in turning something that seems so complicated into something simple through just one or two critical insights. I could even sometimes see that I was able to excite a friend by the concept or an example, where they had previously claimed to lack either proficiency in, or appreciation for, mathematics. For all the thrill that came from working problems myself, even more exciting was being able to spread that enthusiasm for mathematics to my friends, and early in high school, I wrote a book titled Wearing Gauss’s Jersey to that exact end – to introduce those who claimed to be non-mathematicians to the ideas of problem-solving through mathematical insights, the sorts of insights for which “rockstars” such as Carl Friedrich Gauss was so famous.  Although there were many wonderful problem-solving books, I had yet to encounter a book devoted to just this topic.  

          Needless to say, the adage that a writer learns more than he teaches turned out to be true for me.  The journey of writing a book – of taking an idea from origin to fruition, of convincing a leading publisher that the idea had enough merit to justify taking a chance on a high school kid, and of then actually vindicating that publisher’s trust with a coherent work – has certainly been the most amazing of my young life.  I came to realize that such a project required not only paying attention to coherence of content, but to aesthetics of style – having something worthwhile to say, and then writing it in such a way that it is worth someone else’s while to read.  The whole of this process was not just different in degree, but essentially different in kind, from any challenge I had yet undertaken.  Moreover, I came to appreciate just how much tenacity was needed to see that challenge through.  Several times, I had to resist the urge to quit in the middle of the demanding process of writing, revising, and then writing again. Each of those times, however, those feelings were overwhelmed by reminders as to why I was writing the book in the first place. For example, in the process of developing and solving some problems for the book, I found a hidden relationship between two problems in discrete mathematics that seemed entirely separate.  That discovery led to an entirely new approach to another old problem, that of summing the squares. It was moments like these – moments in which I realized that writing served only to deepen my appreciation for what I was writing about – that allowed me to see the challenge through, and to refute the justification that I had already passed the point of diminishing returns on the expended effort.  In short, I came to understand Hemingway’s blithe wisdom when he expressed how much of a person goes into their writing, “There is nothing to writing.  All you do is sit down at a typewriter, and bleed.”   That, perhaps, is the most profound insight of all.

-Dean Hathout; class of 2016.

Readers: Dean's book, Wearing Gauss’s Jersey  is on display in the author's section, downstairs in the Chandramohan Library.

At last - time to enter Slade House.

Slade House, the latest novel from David Mitchell is now available.

David Mitchell’s works have been featured on this blog before. His writing has sparked  conversations among students and colleagues -because to discuss Mitchell’s work is to discuss the flawed nature of his characters, and in doing so, to reveal our innate desire to empathize with a well-written character, despite eccentricities, foibles and failures.

Slade House begins with a series of tweets,

 https://twitter.com/i_bombadil

 released one at a time – over a month or so. The tweets set the stage for the tone of the book – a bit creepy, a bit dark. The tweets draw you magnetically to the action and the motivation of the character, Bombadil.  Mitchell structured the prose of the tweets as a re-imagining of language -  absolutely contemporary text-speak interspersed with Youtube videos, hyperlinks and mysterious pictures to heighten the experience.  Who would think Twitter could be used as a compelling literary format?

The novel itself (confession: I read this as a galley edition, electronically, courtesy of NetGalley) scurries along a psychological tightrope. Mitchell knows his audience. He plays us. We play along – to almost our breaking point. Anguished. But fully immersed in the story and the humanness of the characters. It is a good read. Fans: you will not be disappointed. Newcomers: get ready to be drawn in. Beware the iron gate. Trust no one.

-Mrs. Eldridge

Check out time

The return to school -
     Enthusiastic readers, a scramble for a new book or the next in a series.

A few of the members of the class of 2021 pose for a promotional spot: Check it Out!


Titles that have flown off the shelves recently:


Unwind
Mortal Instruments (City of Ashes, City of Bones)
Frederick the Great
Papertowns
1984: A novel.

-Mrs. Eldridge

That. Couch.

That. Couch.

It’s been called the coolest new place to hang out, the best place to study; and the place everybody wants to be.

It’s the slightly slouchy, mildly funky drama prop: That Couch.

It was pressed into service in the library, on the second floor landing, as a place to rest between jaunts to the food trucks during our Film and Music Festival.

That Couch was supposed to move back to the drama department the next school day.

But it lingered. Once word got out, its popularity gave it some leverage – so it stayed on.

A week of conversations, laughter, and music happened on That Couch, along with some studying. The space is empty now, and quiet. Who could guess That Couch could turn an empty space into a lively spot to gather? It’s funny what draws people to a place….

Mrs. Eldridge

Crowning glory

Who will be crowned Mr. Flintridge Prep, 2015? The question hovers in the air as preparations for the pageant begin to accelerate. (the pageant is a mock event: a fundraiser whose proceeds will benefit a local charity.)

A king needs a crown. But what type of crown befits a mock-pageant? Prep's Sewing Club is wrestling with the question as you are reading this.

Henry VIII rocked a cool crown – jeweled and pearled with a royal velvet lining.

As we researched and sketched, we found the intersection of antiquity and technology: Henry’s crown has been 3-D printed. And the code is available.

Watch the process here:

Intrigued? You can download the code and make a crown for yourself (if you have the SLS printer). Click on the blue "download this thing" box.

The result: A precious item reserved for the few becomes accessible to many. In lots of ways, I am grateful for the Internet's ability to make art, images, archival films, writings and letters available to us for enjoyment and enrichment.

-Mrs. Eldridge

Mr. Flintridge Prep, 2015, will take place on March 20, 2015 @ 6:30 pm in Norris Auditorium at Flintridge Preparatory School. Tickets will be available the week before the event. Please see the Prep website for further information.

It Starts.

photo by Simon Burchell from collection of British Museum
Alabaster statue of an Ocelot from Teotihuacan, 5th-6th century

Welcome to the ancient world. The birth of democracy and philosophy. The advent of assassination as a political tool. The rise and fall of civilizations and empires. Many lessons, many topics.


The ninth grade research paper writing process is officially on. Students are primed and ready; some are already deciding on topics. Wars, strategies, squabbles over land and sea, justice and injustice. We are about to dive in - to learn as much as we can in just a few weeks and to exit this process as changed individuals. Wiser. More accomplished as researchers and writers. Definitely more humble (speaking for myself here).


Grady Willard will join forces with Mr. Roffina's classes in March, guiding students through their final edits with his compassion and honesty, making suggestions in the Google Docs sidebar, meeting one-on-one with students. When Grady offers criticism, he brings you to a new way of thinking about your subject and method of organizing thoughts. He says the word "yes" a lot, and affirms your process and subtly guides you to a new understanding. You leave realizing that you've been critiqued, but not criticized.


It is time to dust off my memory of ancient things, to replay the Battle of Marathon, recall all things feudal, revisit the philosophers and thinkers. And to re-discover where I found that really great information last year. Game on.


-Mrs. Eldridge

A Happy, happy meal.

Guess what was in my Happy Meal yesterday?

If you guessed a tiny copy of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, you would be correct.

Books in Happy Meals: it is a thrilling thought. Now a whole new set of folks will have a shorthand phrase, “…if you give a mouse a cookie…” to describe a series of events drawn into play by one simple action.

As I was appreciating all of the young (and not-so-young) readers and the pairs of child-adult readers, I plunged into a chasm of doubt: what if reading doesn’t matter? (I blame the french fries here)

What if print reading, or reading in any format doesn’t make you a better person, or a person more equipped to make their own choices? An unthinkable thought for a librarian….yet….

One of our seniors responded to my query, “What if we don’t need to read at all?”

BL: There are things that books can do that movies and other visual media cannot, like empathy. Also, I think it is important for our brains to be activated by words.

Posing the same question to one of our juniors, I got this reply:

JP: Reading relaxes me, I take 10-20 minutes each evening to read – more if I have time – but I make sure that I read every day. For me, it is all about the stories. I find stories often give you hope and faith, like the book I just read, I’ll Give You the Sun. I like stories because they help you figure out how to live your life. I read every night before I go to bed because it's a nice way to separate yourself from all of the stuff going on in your own life, and get lost in someone else's story for a little while.

This web article supports JP and BL’s thoughts nicely, and points to some recent research:

http://mic.com/articles/104702/science-shows-something-surprising-about-people-who-love-reading-fiction

Back to the essential question of reading; Tim Parks, in his blog post for the New York Review of Books, writes,  "there are many ways to live a full, responsible, and even wise life that do not pass through reading literary fiction.” Perhaps, as a librarian, I am biased toward the benefits of reading, yet I am not finished thinking about the value of reading. Guess that is as it should be.

-Mrs. Eldridge

Reading in the Rain - A Sampling from the Class of 2015

Last week it rained. Which was wonderful for two reasons: first, we needed rain. Second, the seniors  exchanged a soggy senior patio for the warmth of the library. A handful were gathered near the big red reading chairs. Here is a sampling of their reading choices: 

 L.B. class of 2015: Alana the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce. “I’m not reading this now, but if you ask me what book I’ve really enjoyed, it would be the first book in the Alanna series. Tamora Pierce is my favorite author of all time. At my old school, this book got passed from friend to friend, from grade to grade: it was read by lots of people. I’ve recommended it to two people at Prep already today. The main character, Alanna, is not a perfect human – but she still pushes herself to achieve her goal of becoming a knight. Her temper does not go magically away, but she learns to live with herself and her quirks breaking gender stereotypes along the way.”
 

R.D. class of 2015: Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.  “I am totally captivated by Confederacy of Dunces. Some people really hate it though. Everyone has met someone like the main character, Ignatius J. Reilly. He is wholly unsatisfied and disgusted with contemporary society, yet he contributes nothing. I see a lot of myself in him. There is a piece of Ignatius in everyone.”





 

S.M. class of 2015: Deliverance by James Dickey. “The book is harrowing, more so than the movie because the drama is more drawn out. These are normal people in an extraordinary situation: the common man doing uncommon things. The last 100 pages are like pure adrenaline. And, it’s a story about a canoe ride.”






 

A.P. class of 2015: The Brothers Karamazov by Fodor Dostoyevsky. “I’m not even done with it, but I think you would like it. It is a well-told story and it has the answer to every question you could ever ask. It’s hard to read – but it feels good when you understand it. It envelopes you.”








With clear skies and temperatures near the 80s, it is hard to believe it rained last week - but near the foothills here, I saw the shimmer of new green sprouts on the hillside.  More rain would be nice. Hmmm. More seniors in the library again would be nice, too. 

Mrs. Eldridge

Faces of Movember

Supporters of Movember in and around the Chandramohan Library at Prep:

Mo Bros hosting a Movember bake sale

Right outside the library's doors, bake sales are held (you can image how this could be good and bad at the same time). Today's sale featured delicious goodies - some hand made by members of the Men's Cross Country team at Prep. Besides the delicious assortment of baked goods, information was available explaining the Movember movement. Alumni James Woolley shared information and good cheer. Alex joined him at the table.

Scroll down. See more Mo Bros and Mo Sisters (surprise at the end):

 

 

Mo Bro in the downstairs library

Mo Bro in a study room

 

Mo Bros in the Conversation Nook

Mo Bros just outside the library

Librarian Mo Sisters

What! You are not surprised that we dressed the part?

 

 Today we put a different face on, mixing together community and activism in the library. 

 

 

 

-Mrs. Eldridge



It Wasn't all Unicorns and Rainbow Sparkles

Monterey morning

It wasn't all unicorns and rainbow sparkles at the Internet Librarian 2014 this year, but it was a solid look at where the profession is at the moment.

Aside from almost setting my room (and the Portola Hotel and Spa) on fire, it was a flawless trip.

Perfect weather, great sessions.

Nina Simon, from the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, lit up the stage with her keynote: a story of change and opportunity. A story of risk-taking and creativity during challenging times. As Nina said, "a crisis is a terrible thing to waste." I am in complete agreement with Daniel Cornwall of Alaska, "best keynote I've ever been to" (Daniel's blog has other summaries of sessions from Internet Librarian, and they are good).

Nina's Ted Talk (and blog)


 Josh Hanagarne , the World's Strongest Librarian, reads 200-300 pages a day - and is able to extemporaneously illustrate an idea with the perfect quote from a relevant reading. Oh, what a talent that is. Josh's keynote, both vulnerable and intriguing, unpacked the rhetoric behind the question, "Is Technology Changing our Brains?"  Here are some links you might enjoy:
Josh's keynote from 2013

Tweets from the keynote

Reading list from keynote (partial)



There were more sessions, excellent also. And wonderful, insightful conversations, and kindnesses (thank you, Nancy). I'm grateful for the opportunity to attend, sad to see it end, hopeful for next year.

-Mrs. Eldridge


David Mitchell Marathon

I have a question for you: what are you reading right now that you cannot put down? Or, what have you read recently that you could not put down? There is a reason I'm wondering: I've just finished a book marathon. It was good. It was delicious, but it's over.

Here is the scoop:
 In style, prose and structure, CloudAtlas is profound; asking life’s most essential questions without smothering the stories. A Prep student and I are debating whether this is our best-book-of-all-time selection.

The high point of the marathon was, The Reason I Jump; The Inner Voice of a 13 Year Old Boy with Autism.  Mitchell co-translated The Reason I Jump and wrote a compelling introduction that sets the stage for Naoki Higashida to tell his story. Emotional and exceptionally truthful, Naoki’s message is straightforward, “don’t give up on us. Please keep battling alongside us.”

Higashida explains, “From your point of view, the world of autism must look like a deeply mysterious place.” The Reason I Jump uprooted my previous model of life on the autistic spectrum.  The essence of Higashida’s world - accepting the mantle of otherness, and revealing its emotional highs and lows- hit a reset button for me. I don’t know what the result will be, but this book not only made me think deeply, but differently. Higashida said, “once you know the other person’s inner self, both of you can be that much closer.”

The Bone Clocks is Mitchell’s newest novel. The plot winds around and through the life the main character, Holly Sykes. The supporting characters are flawed; self-absorbed, snarky, down-on-their-luck, or drowning in grief, yet they are revealed so fully that I adjusted my initial resistance and enjoyed their stories. There is an other-world plot to the story, but I won’t spoil it for you.

 

It was a marathon of excellent writing, fresh and unpredictable – completely enjoyable. And now, a quest for the next book(s). Any suggestions?

 

-Mrs. Eldridge

Spies Like Us.

For 3 days last summer, tech training camp was where the action was: a fusion of technology and teaching. Along with a group of future teachers, I entered an alternate universe. 

The cover: Spies. Complete with official-looking badges and awesome passports.

The mission: to infiltrate the educational system and explore the connection between technology and the learning process.

Super-Special Agents briefed us – introducing tech tools -guiding our efforts.  As teams, practiced our nascent skills and shared discoveries with each other.

Along the way, I recognized the significance of the training camp –as a model of a

-         creative

  -          engaging

        -          collaborative

         and technically enhanced learning community.

Learning from the team was highly valuable – both in acquiring tech skills and in the exchange of ideas about how to use our new skills. 

The spy format kept us engaged and amused – it provided a creative platform for conversation and interaction: a way for the team to laugh and learn together.

At the end of our mission, it was clear that technology can enhance – and yet not overstep – the teacher/student learning experience.

The tech camp, Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers Today Through Technology, was the result of a grant written to the U.S. Department of Education. Here is a link to some of the areas explored: http://sites.laverne.edu/ear/camp/

 Special thanks to Mala Arthur. I loved camp!!

 

-Mrs. Eldridge

 

 

 

THE THREE PEOPLE YOU MIGHT WANT TO GET TO KNOW

Grady Willard and Bryce Lew
 in the Chandramohan Library

Grady Willard is our guest blogger today and it is with great delight that we share his post with you....


The school year has started. Whether you are new to Flintridge Prep or are returning after a long summer, you are undoubtedly going to be working hard to get back into that usual school routine, make new friends, hang out with old ones, and get to know your teachers and their classes.

But there is one thing that everybody should do, whether you are a Middle Schooler, a rising sophomore, or a senior.

Go talk to the Prep librarians.

More so than any other teachers at Prep, the librarians have the ability to see the big picture in each of our lives. The library sits at the center of Prep’s campus. Walk in and you will undoubtedly get a taste of student life: Student Community Action Council (SCAC) meetings, calculus tutoring, essays and theses in progress and bulletin announcements on upcoming student events. From the windows, you can see the daily grind of sports practices, with swimmers gliding across the pool and the football being tossed between two teammates.

The librarians see everything that happens on the campus. Their relationship with the student body is not just confined to administrative offices or classrooms. They fill in the gaps - those restless free periods, cold and sleepy early mornings, and bright and energetic afternoons - with guidance and friendship. You can walk up to their desk at any time and start talking classes, athletics, student government, community service or anything of the sort that interests you. 

You might be surprised about the stories each of them can tell. Mrs. Ursettie can discuss politics and philanthropy. Mrs. Eldridge can help you formulate theses and help with online technology and Mrs. Hodge can find a book on nearly any research paper topic (and without any trouble!).

 Use their vast knowledge to your benefit when you write a paper for Mr. Perlman’s Honors European History Class on Renaissance art or when you are researching water chemistry for Ms. Clark’s 11th Grade Science Class. All three librarians know the style of writing that Prep teachers are looking for and asking for edits can often help your grade. But the librarians are also eager to hear what you are writing about, give feedback on various arguments you are developing, and point out various ways to approach a topic. Here are just two examples that come to mind: A few months ago, Mrs. Eldridge helped me fine tune a point I wanted to make about the paradox of wanting both lower energy costs and a free and open market (the two cannot exist together!). She also helped another senior link the power of winning in a basketball game to brain psychology. The librarians want to learn, and they want to learn with you and from you. 

Prep’s librarians are in a unique position in that they just do not see the development of us as students, over one year. They see it for six years. And we can go back and back to them on any assignment until we graduate. 

But their work extends beyond the classroom. Mrs. Eldridge works with the Library Advisory Council to bring more technology to the library. Mrs. Hodge is the librarian who signs off on many student activity forms and will give you the confidence to do your best as you lead the Student Senate into organizing the Blood Drive or the Club Rush and Community Impact Fair. All of the time and dedication that these three put into student life shows just how committed Prep’s librarians are to our well-being and to their desire to see us succeed. Prep’s librarians see us at all hours of the day and want us to have fun too. They understand the enormous pressure we are under to make friends, get good grades, and get into college. That is why Mrs. Ursettie leads two big events on campus that are dedicating to showing off student talent, the Junior Parent Dinner and the always hysterical Mr. Flintridge Prep.

As Mrs. Ursettie once told me, the three Prep librarians have a sort of “inalienable
magic” when they are together. They can shift seamlessly from the fun hat to the working hat to the academic hat, always helping to inspire and advocate for the students body. Each librarian can do anything, at any time. 

So I hope that in the first week or two of school, you will go up to one of the librarians. Or maybe even all three. Introduce yourself with a couple of weird facts. 

It just might be one of the most important things you do at Flintridge Prep. And it will almost certainly land you three great friends not just for the duration of your Prep experience, but for life. 
____________________________________________________
Grady Willard is a member of the Flintridge Preparatory Class of 2014 and is beginning his freshman year at Georgetown University. One of the high points of each day of his senior year was walking into the library to share his latest thoughts about classes, student government and life with Mrs. Hodge, Mrs. Eldridge, and Mrs. Ursettie. He could not possibly think of a senior year without the kind, humble, and hardworking librarians. His only regret was that he did not get to know the librarians earlier in his Prep experience.

 

Browsing by the numbers

Are you a browser? Drawn to enticing covers with great titles?

Can’t resist browsing through a book that grabs your attention?                  

I invite you to wander the stacks in the Chandramohan Library.

Because this year, there is something new and wonderful in the margins of the shelves: a collection of books placed and curated by Mrs. Hodge.  The titles span a wide range of topics and are intriguing and thought provoking. They are featured at the ends of the shelves, existing near their Dewey number, but pulled out for you to browse.

Today, I found myself deeply lost in the book, The Animal Dialogues, a

collection of short vignettes about the intersection of the human and animal experience. It was about eye level, with a soulful photo of a snow-dusted mountain lion on the cover. Easy to pick up, hard to put down.

The display books are scattered throughout the collection. I found myself drawn to reach for more than one.

A sampling of the titles…..

-Mrs. Eldridge

Launch

Sunshine, music and food.

 So far, so good.

I’ve never been to a book launch before, and I’m not sure what to expect. Then, Catherine starts to talk. Soon, it is clear that the people gathered here are her friends, and that feels good. Together, we celebrate her success.

Catherine talks about writing; the process, the stages and the sacrifices. While she speaks, the word fearless comes to mind. Fearless appears both in the title of Catherine’s book (A Girl Called Fearless) and also in the connection between her desire to write and the journey of authorship. I’m understanding a nuanced meaning of the word as Catherine and her husband talk about that journey.

Next, Catherine reads from her book. As a group, we are transfixed. When I read the book, my inner voice was the narrator. With Catherine reading, I am released from the role of narrator and become listener. The words are the same, but somehow, the emphasis and even the characters are different. Catherine’s voicing of Avie, the main character, is more vulnerable and softer. This changes how I think about the story as well as Avie’s motivations: I understand both on a little deeper level.

Here is a short video of Catherine, talking about her awesome marketing idea and her book.

Enjoy! (copies of A Girl Called Fearless are now available at the Chandramohan Library)

 

-Mrs. Eldridge

Before the Chandramohan Library...

 

...here is what the Jorgensen Library looked like--a single story and a bit smaller than the downstairs is now.  Just before the beginning of demolition, Mr. Bachmann wistfully looked over the magazine section.  The old library was the space where, as an English teacher, he directed a production of "Guys and Dolls!" 


The left side shows the group study space where the downstairs reading room is now.  The photo in the center shows Mr. Bachmann taking a last lap around the library just prior to dismantling and demolition.  The photo on the right shows the area where our 12 desktop computers lived, along with part of the reference collection. 

 

The class of 2007 wouldn't be able to use the Senior Patio (which you can see on the upper right, through the open door) or the Senior Lawn the following year because of the construction going on.  Although they were given Jorgensen Patio and the lawn across from it, it wasn't the same as the special place they'd looked forward to using for years.  AND, they would graduate before the opening of the new library!  As a consolation prize, we let the class of 2007 write messages all over the walls of the old library.  They ranged from "Thou shalt not write on walls--every mother to every child," to "Looking out this window, I see the patio that will never be ours.  Viva la revolucion!"  And we tried to get every student from the class of '07 to sign the "'07 Pillar".  Graffiti ranged from the humorous, to the absurd (like the entire song, "Dixie" written around the entire space), to the touching.  

 



 

Neither our current students, nor many of our teachers, knew the former library, with all of its quirks and craziness.  Just imagine the downstairs library, about 2/3 its current size, with over 100 students inside on a rainy day!  But we remember it fondly and offer a look at the pictures I took in those last days.  If you'd like to see more, please stop by and ask to see them!  We'd love to share them, as well as some great stories with you!

 

 

Mrs. Hodge