Westchester Library Association Gives Award to Ossining Library and School District

The Ossining Public Library is pleased to announce that the library and the Ossining Union Free School District have been awarded the 2017 School/Public Library Cooperation Award by the Westchester Library Association.

The Westchester Library Association announces the winners at its annual meeting each May. The award recognizes excellence, creativity and effectiveness in a school/library cooperative program.

The Ossining School District and Ossining Public Library collaborate on a number of initiatives.

Kevin Robinson, a children’s librarian at the Ossining Public Library, and Megan Mastrogiacomo, parent coordinator at Park School, have strengthened a partnership between the two institutions that fosters learning, engagement and academic support for all of Ossining’s students. Kevin’s STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) Game Night Series, which seeks to encourage family engagement with the school curriculum through the use of original games, has been an enormous success. Over 76 families participated in these entertaining and educational game nights in 2016, learning about topics from ranging from the scientific method and the water cycle to electrical circuits. The school district has been indispensable in promoting these programs, gathering volunteers and facilitating the game nights.

Mr. Robinson and Ms. Mastrogiacomo also collaborated on organizing a Destination Imagination team for Park School’s students, who were able to put together a fantastic presentation at the regional tournament. Destination Imagination engages children in project-based learning experiences that help develop their STEAM skills.

“The Ossining School District strongly values our close relationship with the Ossining Public Library, and we thank district and library staff members for enthusiastically embracing our joint initiatives,” Superintendent Raymond Sanchez said. “Through our partnerships, we are increasing student and family engagement and furthering our mission of providing a variety of enrichment and learning opportunities for our entire community.”

The strength of the relationship between the library and the school district extends across all grade levels, notably in the deployment of the Ossining Basics community initiative to encourage parenting techniques that help prepare young children for school; visits to the elementary schools; and a collaborative book club with the Ossining High School library.

The partnership between the two institutions allows the library and the school district to go beyond their respective walls and reach the most students possible, providing engaging and educational opportunities for them, from their classrooms to the local grocery store.

“The library extends its deepest congratulations to the youth and teen services librarians at the Ossining Public Library, and to the administrators, teachers and coordinators at the Ossining Union Free School District for receiving this honor, and we look forward to seeing the results of future collaborations,” said Karen LaRocca-Fels, Ossining Public Library director.

(Photo, left to right: Megan Mastrogiacomo, Kevin Robinson and Marci Dressler, the library's head of children's services.)