The library at the John M. Marshall Elementary School has added 350 books to its collection since September, Patty Moyer, the school librarian, announced at an East Hampton School Board meeting on Tuesday.
Earlier in the school year, John Marshall gave students a survey asking what types of books they would like to see added to the collection, and Ms. Moyer received replies ranging from titles about investing to learning Japanese to pop culture. “The students did not disappoint,” she said.
“Book choice has really been a big thing at the library,” she added. With the growth of the collections, she said, “students are reading.” Since the additions, monthly circulation has increased to 1,200 to 1,300 books per month.
Throughout the morning and afternoon, students visit the library. “Students are taking out books even when it’s not their library time,” Ms. Moyer said.
Recently, she introduced an artificial intelligence app, Novel Effect, that adds background music and sound effects to enhance the reading experience for students.
“It really makes the reading come to life,” Ms. Moyer said. “It goes through my speaker, which you might hear we call Bob.”
Each month, the library highlights a specific genre, with January’s being fairy tales. Knowing that, the East Hampton Historical Society donated several such 19th-century books. Around Veterans Day, the historical society provided World War II medals and travel orders for students to look at. “It definitely brings history to life in letting students see that,” Ms. Moyer said.
She then invited several fourth and fifth graders to the lectern to talk about their experiences with the library.
“The reason I like the library is every month, week — every time we’re there — there’s always a fun activity Ms. Moyer has for us,” Alec Beauchamp said. In October, she led a Creepy Carrots program, in which carrots were hidden in the library. “She doesn’t just tell us to grab a book and sit down.”
“I’m there every morning — every single morning — I love it,” Alec said. “Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. The library has always been my favorite subject. I’ve been reading some very old books. You might have heard of ‘Calvin and Hobbes’? My uncle gave that book to me.”
When he told Ms. Moyer about it, she got “very excited” and put Calvin and Hobbes comic books in the library.
“That felt very accomplishing to me,” Alec said, “like I was a very good student. She knows I’m a very good reader. She realizes it. It makes me feel really good.”
Zoey Falkenhan told the board that her favorite part is a station that is “basically a little bit of science mixed in with the library.” Students get to observe “all sorts of cool insects and cool bugs.”
Zoey’s favorite is the scorpion. “You don’t really get to see scorpions around a lot where we live. It’s just really cool looking at all types of different bugs and creatures.”
Anti-Vaping Campaign
In other news, Sara Smith, the principal of the high school, told the board about a campaign called Vape Out, a means of “proactively addressing the vaping epidemic.”
“It’s essentially a public health campaign to inform our students of the negative effects of vaping,” she said. On Friday, Jan. 31, when the program begins, 30 student leaders will work with the Suffolk County Department of Health to learn how to teach their peers about alternatives to vaping and the social pressures associated with it.
In February, the school will have departmental lessons, in which teachers in different subjects will lead sessions on the effects of vaping as it relates to various school subjects. Biology classes, for example, will discuss its effects on the body, while math classes will cover the financial angle, and English classes will analyze the manipulative techniques used by vape companies to target teenagers, Ms. Smith said.
In general, the high school is taking an approach of “informing and educating” students, rather than acting punitively, she went on.
In addition, a group of students in the high school’s art club entered a mural submission on Friday to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It will be displayed at East End Arts in Riverhead.