Questa library gets $2,500 funding boost for Friday student activities

When the Questa school district went down to a fourday school week in 2017, what to do with Fridays was a big question for plenty of parents. So the Questa Public Library started a special program where kids would have a place to go.

The Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation recently announced a $2,500 grant to the library to support the Friday activities for Questa students.

“This is wonderful news,” said Sharon Nicholson, Questa Library Director. “Our children will benefit greatly from the additional learning opportunities this grant will provide.”

Like other services at the library, the Friday program is free of charge.

The Friday special program will be a weekly event during the 2018-2019 school year, according to a press release from the Friends of the Questa Public Library. The LANL grant will be used to develop STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) initiatives and will be produced by local businesses, area institutions and volunteers from the community.

“We are truly gratified to receive this LANL grant”, said Evelyn Coggins, president of the Friends of the Questa Public Library. “It is an important contribution for our mission to support the Questa Public Library’s valuable programs,” she said.

The Questa Public Library is a single room that has become a center for community learning and activities in the decade since it’s been serving Questeños and folks who live in the northern reaches of Taos County. Besides the Friday programming for students, the library sponsors children’s story time, annual summer reading programs, author visits, book club discussions, computer instruction, wireless internet access and a group for local crafters.

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