Elementary school children would probably be amazed by the library of yesteryear with card catalogs, austere desks, and librarians with forefingers to lips signaling, “Shhh.” The F.E. Bellows library for Rye Neck’s third through fifth graders is a stark contrast.
By Janice Llanes Fabry
Elementary school children would probably be amazed by the library of yesteryear with card catalogs, austere desks, and librarians with forefingers to lips signaling, “Shhh.” The F.E. Bellows library for Rye Neck’s third through fifth graders is a stark contrast.
“The library has become so much more than reading and checking out books. The digital media available to students is a game changer,” noted Library Media Teacher Bill McKeon.
“Students in Rye Neck are borrowing e-readers and downloading books from home. Our library has become a hub for activities, some of which begin in the classroom.”
Besides colorful jigsaw desks, miniature sofas, a mural with 3-D art created by school secretary Jayne Gavigan, GarageBand, a fish tank, and a tortoise named Boris, the space boasts state-of-the-art technology. Along with the many books that still line the shelves, there are video screens, conferencing equipment, 30 iPads, and 25 Chromebooks.
In this community workplace, meticulously tended to by McKeon and Assistant Maryann Tucciarone, students have access to a myriad of collaborative projects. Students in grades 3-5 videoconferenced with Alaskan students in the remote Little Diomede Island. While Rye Neck students related their New York experiences, Little Diomede children shared their customs, from eating walrus to shooting shotguns in the air on New Year’s Eve in lieu of fireworks.
Through other distance learning programs, a docent from the Cleveland Museum of Art discussed simple machines and a docent from the Lee Richardson Zoo in Kansas provided students with a real-time animal adaptation presentation.
“Video conferencing exposes our students to different cultures and ideas via first hand experiences,” explained McKeon, who has taught at Bellows since 1999. “The library also provides connections to the curriculum. Students make connections between science, technology, engineering, art, and math.”
One such STEAM project this month involved teams of fifth graders in a Bridge Building contest. The objective was to build a bridge that held 100 pounds and spanned 30 inches between two chairs. The only materials they were allowed were newspaper and masking tape.
Appointing a foreman, a treasurer, and an inspector, each team was responsible for buying the material with fake currency ($4,000 per pound of paper, $2,000 per roll of tape), developing construction proposals, calculating estimates and adjustments, and building the most cost effective, sturdiest bridge.
“There was a lot of detail to this particular project and its collaborative nature was helpful for kids to learn how to work with others, deal with money and anticipate obstacles,” noted McKeon.
Next up, the library is holding an essay contest revolving around a classic fable. The event will culminate with a real-life race in the auditorium between the library’s Boris the Tortoise and the school’s Oreo the Hare. There’s never a dull moment at the library.
