April was a very busy month in Hawthorne High School’s Library Media Center. There was a variety of activities and displays which students were encouraged to participate in.
To begin with, April is National Poetry Month, and the Library Media Center called attention to this event with a display that included books of poems from Shakespeare’s era to the modern era with the New York Times bestselling poetic-novel Crank.
To encourage students to get actively involved in National Poetry Month, the Library Media Center, along with the Creative Writing Club, declared Thursday, April 24, the second annual Joy of Poetry Day at HHS. To celebrate the day, students were invited to participate in the various activities including: “Poems on the Pavement,” which allowed students to claim a sidewalk square in the courtyard and write a poem with chalk. “Poems on Glass,” allowed students and faculty to write poems on the windows in the Library Media Center. As participants in the national World Book Night event, members of the Creative Writing Club gave away 20 copies of the book 100 Best-Loved Poems during lunch.
Not only is April National Poetry Month, but it is also the month of Shakespeare’s birthday. To celebrate the great writer’s birthday, which falls on April 23, the Library Media Center set up a book display on all things Shakespeare.
Also on display in April were books on sports and fitness to celebrate the spring sport season. This display drew students and faculty to the library shelves to learn how to stay fit and healthy.
Throughout April, the Library Media Center also took the very successful “I Read!” campaign and created a visual book display with it. All of the “I Read!” poster images, which have been displayed around the school over the past month, were transformed into laminated bookmarks and paired with the book of the “I Read!” participant’s choice. The display was a huge success and drew many students and staff into the library.
The Library Media Center also introduced a Playmaker Station, where students have the chance to break away from technology and studying to engage in teamwork as they operate, shaped, and share skills in activities that include jigsaw puzzles, Legos, chess/checkers, and knitting. The new Playmaker Station has proven to be a huge hit, and is available to students before and after school and during lunch.
The Library Media Center and Library Media Specialist, Theresa DiGeronimo, also hosted an event in the month of April called Digital Footprints: Building an Online Reputation for College Admission & Beyond on Tuesday, April 1. The goal of this community outreach program was to help students and parents learn how to shape their online profile so that it presents an image they can be proud of. The Library Media Center also hosted another Internet safety program, the Dare 2b Cyber Safe Assembly, which was an assembly presented to all four grade levels at HHS by Internet crime expert, Keith Dunn, on April 17.
HHS’s Library Media Center has rapidly turned into the hub of HHS, and the month of April can verify that with all the displays and activities that brought crowds to the Library Media Center.