As you enter the double doors, you share a look with the smiling, young faces wrapped on the wall, boasting a photograph from nearly every yearbook of over a century of Carmichaels history. On the left is a trendy storefront decked out in blue and gold Mikes’ pride. As you sink into the welcoming environment, you notice students working on homework while riding stationary study bikes or chatting with friends around a table near the bookcases.
Welcome to the Carmichaels Area Middle/High School Library, also known as the Lavins Media Center.
This space is redefining what a school library is meant to look like while maintaining the integrity of the room’s original intent.
“The library has a corner for everyone,” remarks librarian Cassie Menhart. The space is a great place for students to sample future career interests such as aviation through the flight simulator or by participation in the Investment Club. That organization is in its third year, partnering with the Greene County Community Foundation, who funded the club’s start-up needs. The students work with personal finance advisor Joshua Daines of Malinovich & Co., meeting before school on Tuesday mornings. The Carmichaels Alumni Entrepreneur Gallery also encourages former students with their own businesses to display a tee-shirt and speak to finance classes with their experiences.
The library cafe is another favorite spot for Carmichaels students of all ages and interests. Students can always stop down for an Italian ice and a refreshing drink, with some special events allowing for a warm cookie or hot chocolate. The cafe doesn’t just fill up students’ bellies, though. It also funds two important school activities: the Book Club and E-Sports team, whose spring season is starting now.
Students in Book Club don’t just meet together to discuss what they’ve read, although this is an integral part of the activity. Mrs. Menhart ensures that students gain an immersive understanding of the works they’ve read. One of these activities will be the students’ upcoming trip to the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh to see the musical Water for Elephants after reading the accompanying novel.
Middle Schoolers learn critical thinking skills by playing chess and are, as Mrs. Menhart notes, the most avid readers who actively participate in checking out books. Outside on the library’s patio are also life size scrabble and chess boards as well as an outdoor classroom.
Additionally, the library offers an easily accessible mental health resource station with books targeted at dealing with tough stuff. And if students require some softer support, Lucy, the library therapy dog, now works five days a week.
“Our newest thing we have are the Tails on the Trail from a PA State Retired Teachers’ Association grant that built the stations on the elementary school track,” Menhart shares excitedly. Library classes build the boards, curate the stories, and man the stations on event nights.
Most importantly, though, the library is a gathering place for ideas, education, and celebration. The center boasts after-school tutoring, holds receptions after ceremonies, and promotes Carmichaels students in their various endeavors, such as during Decision Day, where seniors gather to share their future plans. If the living room is the heart of the home, then the library is the heart of Carmichaels Area School District.
