Lily Loewenguth, Grace Paparo, and Jenna Vespi

Staff Writers

To celebrate the month of love, go on a blind date with a book. On the tables in front of the computers in the library, there are a variety of types of books wrapped in brown paper waiting to be hit on. Students can take the book home, unwrap it then spend at least a few minutes with it. After reading it you must “rate your date.” If the book isn’t the right choice for you, you can “ditch the date,” but you have go see Ms. Panek to explain why you didn’t like it. Once a student has completed a rating their name will be put into a raffle and they have a chance of winning a gift card of choice.

This is something Jamesville-DeWitt has never tried before. “We’ve seen it advertised in other libraries and on Pinterest,” said librarian Mary Panek. The books that were chosen to be “date” choices were either by recommendations from students or ones that Ms. Panek has read before.

Another first time event taking place is the “favorite teacher contest.” The favorite teacher contest is a contest that Barnes and Noble has been hosting for about eight years. “We found out about the contest because another teacher emailed me,” said Ms. Panek. This contest gives students the opportunity to write a 500 word or less thank you letter, poem or essay to their favorite teacher. All the pieces are submitted to Barnes and Noble for a chance to win a prize. The store picks a regional winner and a national winner. A regional winner will be rewarded with a $500 gift card. If your piece is picked nationally, your school and the teacher you wrote about will each get $5,000 and you will win a $500 gift card to Barnes and Noble and a NOOK device. Pieces must be submitted to the library by March 2.