A revamp of the Ossian Elementary School library was celebrated at OES Monday morning.

Dana Hoopingarner opens the newly arranged library for her first day with students Monday. Monica Huffman’s fifth grade class was the first class to enter into what Hoopingarner has described as the “land of exploration and imagination.” (Photo provided)

OES Media Specialist Dana Hoopingarner explained her job was to make the space occupied by the library inviting and create an atmosphere of enthusiasm to write and read. 

“That meant moving and changing the shelving units to create a bigger space for new seating and silent reading poisons,” Hoopingarner explained.

She also changed the left side of the library area for the fifth grade, creating a library within a library. The space is occupied specifically with new titles just for the fifth grade age group. 

“This area holds 1,000 piece puzzles for some brain breaks and allows students to work together as a grade to complete a puzzle at a time in small increments,” Hoopingarner said.

“Introducing this to the kids today proved to stir some excitement,” she added.

 Hoopingarner explained she also opened up the window units of the library to use natural lighting that in order to “inspire energy and a refreshing brightness in which the students may move around as they do imagination stations. I have formed a writing station for small mini lessons that will promote storylines of their own. This is right up my alley being an Author myself! 

This year OES is doing an “extension” time every six weeks. Ten students per grade will be attending this extension time at the library.

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