Signing up for a first library card is an exciting milestone for many children, but it’s not every day that a young reader also gets to celebrate the occasion with games, crafts, free books, and a pizza party.
The inaugural “Rocket Into Reading” event, held on May 15, made going to the library a celebration. The event, held in partnership between HPS and the Holyoke Public Library, aimed to get K-2 students excited about visiting the library—and of course, all the stories inside.
“We’re focused on building a love of literacy for our youngest learners,” said Steven Moguel, the district’s executive director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and language access. “This event is all about making reading a life-long love.”
For the celebration, the library was decked out with colorful space-themed signage along with matching T-shirts for the many staff members who participated in the event. Before getting their official library card, students participated in a rotation of literacy events that utilized the different spaces and resources available at the Holyoke Public Library.
Upstairs in the children’s section, students listened to stories in English and Spanish read aloud by guest readers from the School Committee. Downstairs, the floor of the multi-media room was turned into a Lego construction zone, with students and families working together on oral storytelling. The family resource room hosted a workshop for adults to learn new strategies for reading with their children, while children put colored pencils to paper to design their ideal reading room and were entertained with more storytelling.
“If we can get kids connected to the library, they can discover a love of reading,” said Laura Espinoza Mufson, director of dual language at HPS. “Research shows that the more books kids have at home, the higher their literacy rate. I want our students to have the opportunity to access books and bring them home to support their reading growth.”
The grand finale was held outside the library as rain clouds made way for a sunny evening: Pizza, a free book and library card for each student to take home. Students were offered a wide selection of children’s books by diverse authors in English or Spanish, ranging from new releases such as “Islandborn” and “Wepa” to children’s classics such as “A Bad Case of The Stripes” and “Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon.”
For many students, the library card was the most exciting part—even more than the Legos.
“I can’t believe this is mine,” said Lara Colon, a first grade student at E.N. White School. She and her brother, Iian, received their first-ever Holyoke Library cards during the event.
Representatives from HPS and the Holyoke Public Library agree that this year’s event was a success that they hope to grow in coming years. For this inaugural year, 133 students received their library card as part of the event.
“Last year, we made about 125 cards for kids during the entire month of July as part of the summer reading program, so this event was positive for us,” said HPS Assistant Director Jason Lefebvre. “We were so glad to be a part of it.”