Kinnelon Public Library Celebrates 50th Anniversary With Borough-Wide Event

KINNELON, N.J. - June 15, 2013 - PRLog -- KINNELON, NJ—More than 500 members of the community joined a borough-wide celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Kinnelon Public Library on Saturday, June 8th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the library. The event, titled “Student Starlit Showcase,” featured a collaborative effort with Stonybrook Elementary School and Pearl R. Miller Middle School and showcased information books and other texts written by students in grades 3 through 8.

The event, hosted by the Kinnelon Public Library, drew crowds including guests Mayor Collins; Borough Council members Carol Sventy, Ronald Mondello, and Gary Moleta; Board of Education members Marianne DeAlessi, Brian Davin, Michael Petruccelli, and Marcy Pryor; Superintendent of Schools Diane DiGiuseppe, school principals Jodi Mulholland (Kiel), Mark Mongon (Stonybrook), Jack Hynes (PRM) and assistant principal Louis Caruso (PRM); as well as teachers Gina Koonjy, Annika Levitt, and Nancy Bosch (Stonybrook), Karen Baker (Kiel), Marisela Lane (ESL), Jeanne Chamberlain, Lisa Kelly, Amy Stickley, Faith Vanderzee, and Aileen Florio (PRM).

“2013 marks a very special year for our library,” said Library Board of Trustees President Anne Vosatka. “We are so excited to honor 50 years of service to our borough, and we wanted to kick off the year with a celebration that involved our entire community with a special spotlight on our young patrons.”

Ms. DiGiuseppe enthusiastically supported the joint celebration idea. “Having the Kinnelon Public Library as a key partner of our school district is a win-win for school administrators, staff, parents, and especially the children. Bringing together the extraordinary talents and resources of our teachers, students, borough leaders, and library is a spectacular way to celebrate.”

“The ‘Starlit’ Showcase featured a number of rising stars,” added borough Mayor Bob Collins: “our supportive residents, our talented children, our outstanding teachers, the Borough Council, the Board of Education, and of course our Library, a community center for Kinnelon.”

Dr. Vosatka and Ms. DiGiuseppe greeted guests as they arrived to the event and directed students to the raffle table in the main lobby. Library Trustee and Board Secretary Linda Farmer and Borough Councilwoman Carol Sventy invited each student to fill out a free raffle ticket. Prizes, generously donated by Friends of the Kinnelon Library and the Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL), included two Nooks, two iPod Shuffles, and gift cards for iTunes, Dairy Queen, and Subway.

Ron Leavesley, President of CLL and Friends, said, “I was impressed by the response of the school students, the creativity of what they submitted, the synergy between the library and the school system, parent involvement and the terrific opportunity to capitalize on the momentum of this joint effort.”

Al Louis Music (a.k.a. Alan “Mr. T.” Tedesco, Stonybrook School band director) donated his DJ services on the main floor, where the lights were dimmed and strobe lights provided a party atmosphere for kids. He took music requests throughout the evening and announced raffle winners toward the end of the event.

Also donated were platters of cookies from Baker’s Perfection in Rockaway.

Upstairs, the meeting rooms housed the writing showcase—a gallery filled with more than 250 information books and other texts written by students in Stonybrook and PRM schools. The writing pieces were the result of a concerted K-8 formal implementation of Writing Workshop, an integral component of the district’s writing curriculum. With information writing as one of the three pillars of the Common Core State Standards, all students in K-8 learned and practiced the techniques specific to writing texts that teach readers. Topics ranged from pets to pollution, soccer to skateboarding, food allergies to Ford’s Theater.

In the children’s library, students who volunteered to talk about their work and the writing process captivated audiences.

The library’s golden anniversary has been recognized and honored by Congressman Frelinghuysen, who entered a brief history of the library into the Congressional Record.

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About the Kinnelon Public Library

The Kinnelon Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of Kinnelon, New Jersey and beyond. With 18 computers total on both the first and second floors dedicated to public use, and free Internet access, the library offers many programs for both adults and children as well as free materials, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars. Founded in 1963, the Kinnelon Public Library is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013.

For more information, visit http://KinnelonLibrary.org.