Lopez Island School District - Home of the Lobos

Library

Books! Books! Books!

The Lopez School’s library is attractive and welcoming. Making use of natural materials, timber beams, skylights, even a large island fir tree in the entryway, the 3,500-square-foot space has the feel of a community living room. Students, included on the design team, specified a desire for lots of windows. The result is a library that is airy and spacious. Lush school gardens and the playground lie just beyond large windows, with views of pastoral fields and snow-capped mountains beyond. 

Designing a library to ignite the imaginations of students of all ages was an interesting task. The building features a cozy nook for elementary children (think stuffed animals, pillows, Beatrix Potter books, puzzles on kid-sized tables and upholstered couches), an enclosed computer lab, independent computer stations, a classroom/meeting/board room called the Lobo Lair, communal tables plus books, magazines and resource materials everywhere. A large papier-mâché tortoise poses playfully on top of a bookcase and students’ artwork is displayed alongside professional art.

It’s not uncommon to find older students reading to younger children during “team time”; secondary students can sign up to become teaching or library assistants; and any youngster is welcome to browse the stacks, read, study or enjoy some downtime after lunch or between classes.

Something for Everyone

Located in the middle of the campus, the library has board games, a fine archival magazine collection for research, plus work areas for students involved in contract learning or independent projects. An accelerated reading program uses a self-competitive model to inspire early readers to read more, and urges maturing readers to expand their repertoire.

The Lopez School library is open to students before and after school and throughout the school day.

“Our strength is that we are a K-12 library. Kids have access to books here that they might not otherwise find, and the interaction of students of all ages and reading levels is a benefit rarely found in schools today.”      —Cindy Gugich, Lopez School Librarian