My students reflect the cultural richness of New York City--and speak 34 different languages among them! Library interns Sarah, Shakir, Elan, Nicholas, Tracy, Mahir, Julianna and Alexandra work with me at the library desk, helping to select books and recommend or weigh in on visiting authors and artists. My students want to build the library and school community, enlighten and educate their peers...and change the world!
We are building a social justice library that supports the political and artistic conversations we have held in the library since last fall. Through these books and conversations, our students are seeking new vocabulary, new concepts, and new courage to examine the complex issues in our society today.
My library interns are dedicated to their school community and love helping plan events. They recommend and vote on the visitors we bring to campus, and help in numerous ways, from hanging up flyers to moving chairs to greeting guests to moderating panel discussions. The students help make these events run smoothly, creating memorable and eye-opening experiences.
In our Speaker Series, we welcome distinguished authors and artists to speak to our students in our library, auditorium or black box theater. At some events, we have up to 300 seats filled! Students arrive with a hunger to meet working scholars and artists who are stars in their fields and have also made a difference in the world. Students learn about the craft and skills needed to become an artist, while gaining knowledge in social justice. This year, we are inviting author and poet Bushra Rehman, who writes about growing up Pakistani in Queens, NY (not far from where our students live). We're also inviting Ronald Kitchen, whose heart-breaking and powerful life story was made into the book "My Midnight Years." The nonfiction book tells the story of his false accusation and imprisonment for 20 years for a crime from which he was exonerated. We also request Chinese films for future screenings for a class that explores Chinese arts/culture.
In Their Own Words
In our Speaker Series, we are trying to offer opportunities outside of the classroom (like our lunch periods and free periods) when students can pursue their curiosity and learn about subjects that interest them. Sometimes, meeting a famous writer, artist or just a person with an amazing life story can be like a lightening rod experience. Meeting people can jolt us into discovery. Maybe we find a new academic passion or career. Maybe we just walk away with a new view of life.
As library interns and volunteers, we help our librarian coordinate speaker events. We choose visitors we know will inspire students. In choosing books for the library, we learn how to take initiative, analyze literary material, and feel confident in our decisions that will reach a broad spectrum of students. We learn leadership skills because we are in charge of a project that will impact hundreds of people in the school! We have to be detail-oriented and meticulous. It is a skill to plan an event, and we enjoy learning this process from our school librarian.
Creating a more diverse collection of books and getting firsthand experience with an author makes for a more inclusive and comfortable environment where students know they are welcome and can learn more about themselves. Our school is home to students from all over the world, speaking 34 languages! We want them to find reading material that is informative and relatable, and to feel at home having discussions about books in the library. We also want students to attend cultural events in the library, be good audience members, welcome our guests, and broaden our worlds! Having visitors to campus helps us learn so much about the real world, and helps us feel more connected. Whether we're watching films that take place in China, or learning about an exonerated prisoner who lives near us, we will come away from these events with our lives enriched.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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