Thank you to all who have answered the call for the Otter Fund capital campaign I Love View Ridge. Through your support we have raised over $56,000 toward funding programs for the 2022-2023 school year – Thank YOU!
As mentioned in last week’s kickoff, rather than the PTA telling you what Otter Fund dollars support, a couple of View Ridge specialists have generously offered their perspective. Today, we hear from Ms. Young, librarian extraordinaire and a 15-year veteran of View Ridge. Ms. Young’s point of view is beautifully shared and a wonderful reminder why We LOVE View Ridge.
Name: Amy Young | Position: Librarian | Years at VRE: 15
Education: Undergrad – Secondary English Education. Masters in Learning & Technology
Full-time or part-time? Full time
Without Otter Fund support, how would your position/program be impacted?
Students & staff currently have access to the library and the +12,000 book collection daily. If the librarian is only at the school part-time, the library can only be accessed part-time. Students would not be able to get the sequel to the book they just finished, teachers would have to wait before borrowing Science books to connect to their space units, the library would be closed most recesses, and the Global Reading Challenge would likely have to be dropped or adopted by a classroom teacher.
During the pandemic, how did your program/work impact the school? What did you do to adjust and better serve the community?
During the pandemic the library – with the help and brainstorming magic of many volunteers – transitioned to 3 days of play court checkout each week, on top of online synchronous classes. During the 2020-2021 school year View Ridge circulated more books than any other Seattle Public School.
PTA Note: View Ridge scholar’s checkout out over 17,000 books last school year – well over 2,000 more than any other school!
In your words, why is your program worth Otter Fund support?
Reading is the foundation of learning. The librarian is supposed to connect, inspire, and provide access to all books.
PTA Note: According to a statistic published by Seattle Public Schools, even a $25 per scholar investment in library materials can triple reading proficiency by fifth grade.
What are your hopes for the future of VRE?
Honestly, I cannot wait until a former student comes to do a presentation on her newly published, NY Times best-selling children’s book. It’ll happen <3
Tell us one thing we may not know about you.
I spent the summers of my childhood is rural Alaska – Kotzebue, Sitka, Dillingham, & King Salmon where we didn’t have access to television. My parents always made sure we had library cards though, and my love of reading can be traced back to visiting those tiny libraries in those fishing villages. The same can be said for my sister who is also a librarian!
Why do you LOVE View Ridge?
The community is home. I love that there are students here I’ve known since they were toddlers. I love that I’ve taught Mrs. Crossman, Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. Miller, Mr. Goetz’s, Ms. Caruso’s, Mrs. Redman’s, Mrs. Jewett’s, & Mrs. Platter’s children. I love running into parents at Café Javasti and them sharing that their daughter just read a book I recommended, adored it, and they had to immediately run to Third Place Books to buy the sequel. I love when students walk around recommending books they’ve read to their friends. I love it when kids giggle, laugh, and cry during story time. I love it when the first stop on the tour for new students is the library, so that older students can teach the new readers how to run the checkout desk.
There is a lot more. . . it’s home.
Thank you, Ms. Young. We LOVE you! We LOVE our library! We LOVE View Ridge!
Let’s show the LOVE.
Donate Here: https://www.memberplanet.com/campaign/viewridgepta6-15-345/otterfund2022