Hawthorne High School’s Library Media Center was full of activities during the month of February.
Students have noticed that the library is beginning to move away from the Dewey Decimal System and is organizing books more like a bookstore. For example, the sports books in the library have been completely reorganized. According to Theresa DiGeronimo, HHS Library Media Specialist, any sports-related book including biographies, how-to’s, histories, and novels are now grouped together into one section for just sports. There is also a Local Author collection, which now includes books written by authors from the NJ/NY area and also by some alumni from Hawthorne High School. These alumni include Theresa DiGeronimo, Tom Craughwell, and Mark Goldberg.
In February, the library celebrated National African American History Month and also Valentine’s Day. A display including Martin Luther King, Jr., Black Poets of the United States, Roots, Langston Hughes, and many more was set up in the front of the library. The monthly trivia contest question for this month goes along with this theme. Students were asked: “Who was the first African American ever to win an Oscar award?” The winner, Miguel Rivera, received two free movie passes to the Hawthorne Theater. Along with this display and contest were the top love-story books to celebrate Valentine’s Day. These books included A Feast of Words for Lovers of Food and Fiction, Pride and Prejudice, Romeo & Juliet, Catching Fire, and books by Nicholas Sparks. There also was a Blind Date book collection. The books were wrapped in plain paper and students read the personal ad and then chose the one they were willing to “go on a blind date with.”
Since Super Bowl took place in early February, the library had books on display for the occasion. The collection included 19 books about football that were donated to the library by the Director of Technology, Joe Brislin. The books include biographies of legendary coaches and players, recollections of historic games, and even selected works from the best stories featured in Sports Illustrated.
With the college application process drawing to a close for seniors at Hawthorne High School, students have been filling out the financial aid FAFSA forms and are often baffled by this confusing time. The library, however, offered help. A display of books on financial aid and scholarships was available for these students seeking help filling out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
The Library Media Center now houses a student art gallery. The work of two Hawthorne High School art classes were on display in February. The first exhibit had 15 typography projects from Joey Carradori’s Graphic Design class entitled “Lyrical Images.” (Typography is using words to illustrate a shape.) The words for these projects contain lyrics to song such as “One Love,” “Stairway to Heaven,” and “Highway to Hell.” The second exhibit was entitled “Split Complimentary” and displayed eight paintings illustrating the Color Theory Project. These works were from Danielle Russo’s Art II students. The artists took opposite colors on the color wheel and worked them together to create a masterpiece of a portrait, a landscape, or even an abstract image. The Art Gallery will be open all year long, rotating students’ artwork throughout the year.
February was a very busy month for the library. Between January 16 to February 14, 2013, 94 classes used the computer lab, 286 students signed in before school, 122 students signed in after school, and 79 books were checked out. The total number of sign-ins came to 3,235 students. As February comes to a quick finish, the library is already beginning to set up for March. Students will be interested to see what is in store for this month in Hawthorne High School’s Media Center.