Hillcrest lures students back to library with tasty treats linked to literature
Getting high school students back into the library was half the battle. Once there, the students had to be engaged enough to come back.
One way to accomplish that was through their taste buds.
Hillcrest high School students were treated to a variety of literature genres coupled with snacks to match the book themes. This was the library’s second book-tasting event, the first since the pandemic, and attracted 15 students, as well as members of the Culinary Club, who made and served the snacks.
“The goal is just getting kids in the library again after a whole year-and-a-half of remote learning,” said Christine Case, a library media specialist who spearheaded the event with fellow specialist, Kara Williams. “We wanted to attract especially freshman and sophomores who have not been here at school because of COVID and maybe weren’t as familiar with our library and what it could offer.
“We made some good connections with the younger students, who aren’t as familiar with what we provide.”
The event showcased four food/ book categories: Sweet for relationships, salty for resilience, sour for science fiction and fantasy, and bitter for horror books. Sweet snacks included rice crispy treats; salty included popcorn, for sour there were small charcuterie plates with pickles, salami and cheese, and bitter featured dark chocolates over strawberries.
“I remember one student checked out a book on science fiction and fantasy, “The Darkest Part of the Forest,” Case recalled. “She was really excited about that book.”
Case said she and Williams wanted to do some sort of reading activity and came up with their own spin on book tasting. So where another school might expose students to different genres at a library event, the two Hillcrest librarians added food as flavor categories.
Williams said they were pleased so many students showed up.
“We’re really getting them (freshman and sophomores especially) connected with the library not just as a place for their educational side of their schooling, but also as a place they can recreationally connect to something,” Williams said.
Williams said the event helped students “find things that connected to their interests and needs and provided them with that so they can continue to be lifelong readers and learners.”
“Most of the comments I remember hearing were ‘Oh, this was a really good book,’ ‘I’m really excited to be here,’ ‘I’m excited when you have programs,’ ” she said.
Williams said the culinary students also benefited. Jean Sweeney,
the Culinary Club sponsor, helped plan the event.
“They really get to take ownership of their cooking, which you don’t see a lot of students do,” Williams said.
Jonae Spinks, a junior at the school, said she enjoyed the event. She left with the thriller, “Be Not Far from Me,” about a girl who gets lost in the woods. Already done with that book, she is on to Harry Potter.
“What I liked about it was how neat it was,” said Spinks, who lives in Markham. “There weren’t that many people there, but at the same time, it wasn’t lonely.”