TJ students enjoy a night in the library watching a classic book brought to life through the magic of Hollywood.
Artwork by Ed Gloor
“Shhhhhhhhh.” Usually people hear this because they are disrupting others’ ability to study in the library, but on October 25, it was for the film.
“Being with my friends, in the library, in the school watching a movie, was quite an experience,” said Senior Chimi Youdon. She and a few other students stayed back after hours to enjoy some time with the librarian watching a movie. While they shared plenty of laughs and popcorn, the students were there because of a love of literature. On this occasion, students watched the film Coraline, a 2009 adaptation of the popular book. Using claymation to tell the story, Director Henry Selick depicted the antagonist tricking our heroine with the thoughts of a false utopia, while torturing the world’s inhabitants to follow her grand deception, all to steal the soul of a child. In addition to enjoying a wonderful film, the students got some free popcorn — always a bonus.
Michelle Jensen, the new TJ librarian, says she started the Book-to-Movie night because she wanted to give students something to do after school. “It also allows students to come to the library and see it as something other than a place to study,” Jensen said.
But the librarian was not the only one who enjoyed the night. The students had a great time too. Many members of TJ’s Book Club showed up to the event, adding to the fun they find in the library. Senior Ali Holcomb said, “I loved it; the movie was good, the popcorn was good, and it’s a fun thing to do after school.” Holcomb plans on going to another Book-to-Movie night, because of the fun she had, along with possibilities of movies like Twilight and The Nightmare Before Christmas being shown.
This is not all that Jensen has planned for the library, though. Her grand design includes having a Game Night, where students can come into the library after school and play some classic board games. She has high hopes for the student response to the Game Night after hearing many nice things about the Movie Night. There will be a plethora of the classic games set up around the library, from Scrabble to Jenga to Chess.
As for more Book-to-Movie Nights in the future, Jensen said, “There will be one in December, either Soul Surfer, or something that gets us into the holiday spirit. We also plan on holding a few more throughout the year, probably one every quarter or so.” To sign up for a Book-to-Movie Night in the future, go to the library and sign up on the sheet after the night has been announced. So look ahead Spartans for more movies to come.
