Candy Carson Visits 3 Indy Reading Rooms
Candy’s Corner: Blogs by Mrs. Candy Carson
Pleasant Run Elementary Reading Room – Indianapolis, Indiana
Monday, November 14, 2011
As you enter Pleasant Run Elementary, you are greeted first by “rocking readers” – wicker benches on wooden rocker feet, situated right in the foyer, to remind visitors and students alike that “reading rocks”!
Principal Patrick Anderson showed us to Pleasant Run’s unique library. The library is located in the center of the school, with its own amphitheater, again giving rise to the idea that reading is the heart of education! The slogan “Rock, Roll & Read” is emblazoned on the wall above a chorus line of juke boxes over a wide book display.
The theme continued in a section of library re-designed as the Ben Carson Reading Room, where the décor is reminiscent of a diner from the 1950s, complete with a Retro diner booth, black and white checkered floor, and a star-burst clock with spoons and forks alternating around the face!
Instead of the traditional artwork of album covers, the walls are artfully decorated with book covers and mock 45 records.
A large sandwich on an unbreakable plate has several books as the “meat” (or brain food!) below the felt cheese and lettuce, and slices of bread made of sponges complete the sculpture.
First and second graders sat attentively as CSF Scholarship Director Rebekah Lin and I shared some of our favorite stories. Rebekah read Duck at the Door by Jackie Urbanovic, and I told the story of The Grouchy Ladybug, who learns it’s better to be nice.
Thank you to Indiana University School of Medicine for sponsoring the room, librarian Guyla Lucas for your creative ideas that brought the room to life, and Principal Patrick Anderson for all of your support.
F. W. Parker Reading Room – Indianapolis, Indiana
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The foyer of F.W. Parker, school number 56, is decorated with lovely paintings – a welcome sight to all who enter. To the right, a friendly giraffe winds his neck around the wall; below, a green turtle inches along with tiny snails traversing its back. On the other side of the entrance, a happy elephant spouts a fountain of water toward the sky while a jolly hippo sunbathes with his toes in the water.
The colorful library has large stuffed animals on top of the bookcases, and sets the stage for the even more inviting Reading Room.
Librarian Annie Boyer is responsible for the creative touches: a hammock seat, a chair shaped like a catcher’s mitt with rainbow fingers, and the hide-away nooks for students who prefer to lounge on pillows while they read. (Please watch the movie on our website to get a full picture, as words simply do not do this room justice)!
I got the pleasure of meeting and reading to two separate classes in the Reading Room. I shared one of my favorite books by Eric Carle – The Grouchy Ladybug – and fielded questions from the students.
Also there to celebrate Ben Carson Reading Day were several supporters from the Indiana University School of Medicine Division of Diversity Affairs: George Rausch, Associate Dean; Fred Hamilton, Director of the Diversity Outreach Comprehensive Science Initiative; and Carrie Harris, Coordinator for that same initiative.
Wendell Phillips Reading Room – Indianapolis, Indiana
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
What first drew my attention inside Wendell Phillips were three large murals painted by students at Indiana University. The first mural shows two hands holding the globe. The painting is overshadowed with a peace symbol, illustrating that world peace is in our hands. The second mural has the school slogan, which is about making good choices, painted on the backdrop of a space scene. This mural figuratively purports that the sky’s the limit. The third mural depicts the downtown skyline, silhouetted against a brilliant yellow, orange, and red sunset.
To encourage the students to consider the reality of their futures, educators have various collegiate pennants attached over the entrance of the media center. The display case has miniature ceramic figures of workers in various careers to encourage the students to consider what their profession will be when they grow up.
The Reading Room theme is the “Overachiever Ocean”. Decorations include inflated sea creatures that hung from the ceiling and a life preserver atop a wooden post, with arrows directing the readers to Excellence Estuary, Courage Cove, Bookworm Beach, or Respect Reef.
As CSF Scholarship Director Rebekah Lin and I ventured further, we found the students awaiting our arrival in a little cove in the center of the room. The students sat cross-legged in neat rows atop the colorful rug, surrounded by waist-high bookcases with brightly colored bins. Each bin showcased books organized according to reading level.
Rebekah and I held the students spellbound as we presented lively animal stories. Also in attendance from Indiana University School of Medicine was George Rausch, Associate Dean for Diversity Affairs; Fred Hamilton, Director of the Diversity Outreach Comprehensive Science Initiative of the Division of Diversity Affairs; and Carrie Harris, Coordinator of that same initiative.
