The DR Media Center has a new look! This long-awaited transformation has caused an uproar in the DR community for its modernized style and techy aspects. This makeover includes a brand-new self-checkout book system, improved lounge areas, charging stations, and a flood of brand-new titles! The exciting renovation gives students the ability to explore education through technology and encourages independence with the new book checkout system.
When asked what inspired this transformation, Mr. Demers, our esteemed principal here at DRHS, explained that “We were in much need of a new look and updated furniture. We thought that students deserve a modern space for what we need every day.” This blueprint for a modern library concept was then transformed into reality when Ms. Harwood, the technology director at DRHS, took it under her wing. Her mission was to create a space where students and teachers could utilize the vast opportunities the Media Center has to offer at its full potential. To advance that idea, she curated a space called the Book Nook, a cozy lounge area where students and teachers can relax while having a quiet place to read, study, etc. When describing the Media Center changes and Book Nook, Mr. Demers explains how it is an “organic space,” which he encourages to be a “teacher-student-driven, multi-use area” to open up new opportunities for modern learning.
Even though new technology is becoming prominent, the books that give the Media Center life aren’t going anywhere any time soon! While reimagining the overall space, Ms. Harwood also set out to fill the shelves with exciting new titles. She was able to rotate our old books out in order to make room for these brand-new stories and was even offered a grant to make our shelves eccentric and exciting. Through trials and tribulations, our DR Media Center looks and functions better than ever! By moving away from a traditional library setting, students and teachers alike have infinitely more possibilities for learning and teaching in the modern age. In the future, DR admin hopes to use this renovation as a stepping stone for modernization of other parts of our school as well. This Media Center makeover will not only benefit our current students and staff but will also change the lives of future generations at DRRHS. Out with the old, in with the new! WE ARE DR!!
