Library creates an educational neighborhood for elementary students
Shannon Hartman brought her son, Presley, to two events this week that would help the third-grader prepare for the upcoming school year at McQuistion Elementary School.
On Tuesday, they went to Broad Street Elementary to get clothing and food at Summerfest, and on Thursday, they went to the Butler Area Public Library to participate in learning activities that would prime Presley’s mind for the first day of school.
“We just came to get some information, hear about the resources,” Hartman said. “We’ve always been supportive of the library.”
The Back to School Bash at the library Thursday afternoon was open to all students, but mainly provided activities for preschool and elementary-aged students.
The library partnered with WQED to set out several educational booths that had children create time capsules, pick out new books, grab supply kits stocked by the United Way, hear stories and even do yoga to practice mindfulness. Children who got their “passport” stamped at every booth would receive a prize from WQED.
Liz Kostandinu, manager of the Inquire Within project at WQED, said the public station is working with partners of different communities to create “educational neighborhoods” that aim to provide environments children feel comfortable learning in.
“This checks all the boxes,” Kostandinu said. “It has fun things for kids, resources for parents; it builds that educational neighborhood we are trying to create.”
Tiffany Harkleroad, children’s librarian at the Butler library, said this is the first time the library has organized a back-to-school event. However, she said it was the ideal opportunity to start such an event as many students are getting reacquainted with the library as they are also getting used to the regular school environment.
“There are various ways we can collaborate and develop tools to help with the curriculum,” Harkleroad said. “We’ve got books, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) kits; I can help in the classroom through the library.”
Butler Area School District administrators and teachers were also present at the event. The district also supplied a school bus to help acquaint elementary school children with procedures.
“Some kids have never been on a school bus before, so this lets them try it out before they go to school,” Harkleroad said.
Julie Hopp, director of curriculum and instruction in the Butler school district, said the event was a great opportunity to bring different community partners together.
Including preschool students in the day’s activities also helped to stimulate their minds early as well, Hopp said.
“This is a community event, not just the school district,” Hopp said. “We have students from our preschool partners here, and we have some of the older kids helping out.”
The Back to School Bash only lasted two hours, but Harkleroad and Kostandinu said they were happy with the number of people who attended.
Kostandinu said she hoped families took away an awareness of the free educational resources, such as the library and PBS.
“It’s closing that loop and making connections,” Kostandinu said. “Everyone has access to the library and to public media so we can work in tandem to educate.”
