The Thursday, October 24th meeting of the Wilton Board of Education took place in the newly redesigned Cider Mill Library Learning Commons (LLC) giving board members the opportunity to experience the space and hear about the impact it has had on Cider Mill students.
The space formerly known as the library has been completely reimagined. This has been a long-time vision of Principal Jen Falcone and Fran Kompar, Director of Digital Learning. The entire Cider Mill Library Learning Commons staff have been committed to the vision and have worked hard to make it a reality. work was completed over the summer and the students have been enjoying the space since the start of the new school year.
The LLC is a beautiful and inspirational space that has been thoughtfully designed with the student needs firmly in mind. The refurbishment has replaced the tall shelves, dim lights and institutional colored walls with a woodland themed room with a calming natural color palate.
Books are still at the heart of the LLC, and investment in new materials and reviewing the existing collection has resulted in reducing the average age of a book in the library from 22 years to 12 years old. Books are now flying out of the library as students are finding it much easier to connect with a book they are interested in reading. ‘Our circulation statistics show that we have increased the number of books being checked out by 40% over the same period last year’ remarked Kompar to the assembled board members.
The LLC has spaces for gathering in groups to collaborate, to relax with a book in a comfortable setting. Everything is on wheels so the whole space can become whatever it needs to be on a particular day. There is space within the reading nook to gather in small groups and to be inspired by the thematic displays of books which tie into the curriculum.
As well as books, the LLC has a maker space and a STEAM Lab. The STEAM lab contains all manner of tools that support 21st century learning, from 3D printers to programmable robots. Large tables are set up with group work in mind. These rooms are far removed from 20th century classrooms. The maker space is a hands-on space which allows the students to choose to be creative in a way that is meaningful to them, whether it be creating art, or creating code.
The vision for the LLC was to create a learning hub for the school community that would encourage teachers and students to collaborate, communicate, and share. Dr. Falcone shared that the space was intentionally designed for students to construct and be engaged in their learning process. At any given time you can see students spread throughout the various spaces, engage in various tasks that involve problem-solving, inquiry and various forms of communication.