“The only thing you have to know is the location of the library.” *Albert Einstein*, theoretical physicist and scientific genius of the 20th century
Library in Context
Sunbeam English School-Bhagwanpur (BGN) is situated in Varanasi, an ancient seat of learning. Embedded in a city that is rich in heritage and cultural diversity, the school library’s mission is to be a safe and friendly harbour where students value curiosity, creativity and learning as their lifelong companions through the written medium, and in the process, they get ample opportunities to develop HOT skills. The ultimate aim with this end in mind is to equip young learners to be self-confident and independent navigators in the new world of data overload and artificial intelligence.
Core Library Programs
The library programming is rich, varied, and inviting for young minds--both traditional and experimental. Story-telling for the younger students is a standard operating feature during library sessions and students become familiar with book structure and classification with the library-teacher as the disseminator of information. Older students interpret well-known and popular stories independently on stage under library-teacher supervision and guidance. For instance, a book of fiction is expanded and transformed into performative reading where students do dramatic enactment, select wardrobe, props and music with library-teachers assistance to encourage subtle interpretation of author intent and rendered meaning. Scripts are adapted with the student screenwriter’s voice present to incentivize student agency whether it is a scene from _Julius Caesar_, _Matilda_, or a book of classical English fiction. In the case of the latter, the members of the audience were peers who witnessed Oliver Twist and Charles Dickens in traditional costume engaging with one other on stage in a spirited dialogue about social justice.
Writing and Reading Initiatives
Since reading and writing go like hand and glove, a successful initiative of the library was to inspire first-time young student authors to encourage a novel which would be published through a leading children’s writing platform. For reading celebration events, the library is the central hub featuring field trips to local bookstore events with well-known children’s authors. Students enjoyed taking selfies with their favourite books while an aspect of the book’s draw.
Special Projects and Collaborations
The members of the Hosteler’s Reading Club researched a historical biography on acclaimed Hindi writer Munshi Premchand whose birthplace is in Varanasi. The culminating project was a presentation and the guided reading of one of his lesser known short stories. In commemoration of Premchand’s birthday, Hindi teachers of our school escorted students to the birthplace which hpuses a museum with primary sources in view to digest and savour showing that the library acts as a conduit for inter-departmental coordination and programming.
Community Events and Impact
The library also hosts multiple book fairs throughout the year where student volunteers assist in the successful execution of the outlined activities. All in all, Sunbeam School--BGN’s commitment is to holistic literacy.
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