School's Out, But Books Are In

School’s out for the summer. But the learning doesn’t stop.

According to director Tina Stewart, the months away from school are just as critical for the educational process of local students.

“Summer reading is important, and the data is out there that during the summer kids will lose literary skills if they’re not reading,” said Stewart. “That being said, the schools teach children how to read. We like to people to enjoy reading. It really is reading for the fun of it, but keeping those learning skills throughout the summer is a benefit of that.”

In addition to providing books for locals to read, the library is always full of options for activities, and the summer is no different.

Summer activities kicked off this week with sessions like chalk drawing on Thursday and Big Wheels on Friday giving youths the chance to see a variety of big rigs up close.

There are also summer reading programs for the different ages in town. Children can take part in “One World Many Stories,” focusing on multiculturalism and travel.

Teens, meanwhile, can become involved in “You Are Here,” which includes activities like photojournalism and henna tattoos.

For older library patrons there is a summer social scheduled for Aug. 19 that includes a jazz ensemble and refreshments. Tickets are just $10 and go on sale in July.

For a full schedule of summer events, log on to the library’s website.

Students in town are given required reading over the summer, and Stewart says there’s one place to come to check books off from their list.

“There’s no excuse for kids to not do their required summer reading done,” said Stewart with a laugh. “We have all the books here on the shelves, so they can get to work on their reading.”