To engage young readers, Eagleton Elementarys Phbe Sacks works hard to create a sense of serenity in the library. But the schools thin walls made it hard for students to focus on stories or studying.
The noise level was terrible, said Ms. Phbe, the school librarian. With the library being in the center [of the school], I could hear stuff from every classroom on every side. [The noise] was pretty intense. And during testing, it was pretty prohibitive.
Eagleton was built in 1976 in an open-floor design that placed the library in the middle of the school. After the model fell out of vogue, thin, temporary walls were the only separation between the library the 10 classes surrounding it.
Unfortunately, the walls only muffled the noise from other classrooms, making the library the center of a noise vortex. Those conditions made it nearly impossible for children to focus on reading, let alone the tests they took in the room.
Thanks to the 2012 Denver bond and mill levy, the library is quiet again. Construction crews followed a community-inspired plan and installed sturdy, permanent walls throughout the building. Skylights were added to bring natural light into the library, along with cozy spaces like reading nooks and a storytelling cove. Two completely new rooms were also created: one for a new computer and technology program and the other for a reading intervention class that had been using a makeshift room in the hallway.
Now, students have the space to explore and the quiet to study and learn. Its a place young readers can make their own, and Ms. Phbe couldnt be happier.
Now, students have the space to explore and the quiet to study and learn.
Since the remodel, the kids are using the library more, Ms. Phbe said. They look forward to coming since there are places that are kid-friendly and feel more like their space. And that gets them to read.