Ferri Middle School students create ‘Living Library’ in anticipation of Johnston's new Marian Mohr Memorial Library
By BETH HURD
Insider Reporter
Back in September, Ferri Middle School sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher Jean Knott realized the construction of the new Marian J. Mohr Library next door would probably be a distraction in many ways to her students this year, but she thought of a way to incorporate the project into her curriculum.
She actually gives full credit for the idea to her husband.
“I was talking to my husband about the distraction of the construction, and how to turn it into a positive,” said Knott. “Mrs. [Stephanie] Lombardi and I came up with ideas.”
She said the other Team 6 Blue teachers – Louis Alviano, Nancy Vuono and Merredith Rappoport – were also involved.
Her students spent the second half of the year journaling what they saw going on at the new library’s construction site. Some described it in words, others took photos or made drawings. They wrote about how sad they were to see the forest cut down, but how happy they would be when the new library opened.
Knott had the students of Team 6 Blue prepare presentations for viewing in tribute to the new Marian J. Mohr Library.
“This is a true documentation of their feelings – we are out of minds thrilled with [the results] – they’ve so embraced this,” said Knott. She had explored the subjects of carbon and oxygen components with regard to the forest. “Then we talked about how the new library will become ‘food for the brain.'"
Some students made dioramas, and simulated the construction of the library using a variety of materials, including wood, clay and Legos. Billy Petitto and Nikos Demetropoulos documented the three stages – forest, construction and the finished library.
Other students used words to describe their feelings. Students Nicholas Spinella and Michael Burgeress wrote a poem called “Our Old Forest is No More.” Samantha Cardona and Alyssa Baccaire called their poem “Change can be good.”
Change can be good
What used to be ….
A mini-forest
Plants everywhere
Beautiful trees
Nature’s green
Then …
We saw it
All come down.
The magic had just
Made its sound
Now …
Knowledge at every corner
Books
Education
Is what we need
And what we will value forever.
Forever …
A wonderful place
At our new Marian J. Mohr Library.
Caitlyn Greenslit wrote her feelings down in the form of a diary, her first entry made on Dec. 1, and her last on June 10. Other students made Powerpoint presentations, shown on a computer screen.
The students were on hand as their work was showcased in their school’s library-media center in an exhibit called “The Living Library Project,” on Friday, June 11.
Among the invited guests were Mayor Joseph Polisena, Carolyn Roseman, FMS school administrators and the incoming school superintendent, Dr. Bernie DiLullo; director of the library Jon Anderson, members of his staff, members of the library’s Board of Trustees and members of the “Friends of Mohr Library.”
Anna Gruttadauria, head of aides and volunteer coordinator, came even though it was her day off. Tanya Paglia and Michelle Greenwood know many of the FMS students, who also attend the library’s young adult programs.
“The poems are incredible,” said Paglia.
“As my teacher said, we didn’t get distracted by the construction – we worked with them,” said student Matthew Fontes, who made a photo album documenting the construction. “I used to go to the old library when I needed a book. I’ll go to the new library more often.”
“My emotion is sadness, I felt sad because they took our forest and they cut down the beautiful trees with a bulldozer,” said Fabio Canido.
He wrote an acrostic poem – creating one line to start with each of the letters in the word “construction.” The words were cut from five different magazines, and mounted on poster board:
Cut down trees.
On a bulldozer, a man. I want him to lose his keys.
No, the forest is beautiful.
Success, will the library be successful?
Trees are gone and are not in the ground.
Rings in the trees tell age and are round.
Unhappy was me.
Change the world by giving us technology.
Trees are needed for paper they say, I say Go Green.
I will miss you, gone you will be
Oxygen, it is lost.
New library, at what cost?
“We’ll plant some trees – we’ll make it up to you,” said Polisena.
He also told the students of the 270-day contract that was made for the new library.
Everyone who attended voiced their hopes that the students’ work would be on display in the future in the library.
“We have to display these – they’ve done so much work. The poems are wonderful, so insightful for sixth graders,” said Lisa Filippelli, chair of the library’s board of trustees, who is also a teacher at Thornton Ele |
