Westminster Supports Local Community with “Little Library” Television Program | Our Campus
NEW WILMINGTON, Pa.—Do you ever wish Westminster had a program that supported families outside of campus, providing extra learning materials to households or engaging them with an educational & entertaining activity? Well, we do. A lesser-known project active on the Westminster campus is the “Little Library.”
Mr. Cole, an adjunct professor in the education department at Westminster, taught elementary students for nearly three and a half decades before returning to his alma mater to help education students.
Cole and fellow adjunct professor Cynthia Clarke, also in the education department, started the student-led group (made up of Elementary Education majors), which supplied extra educational materials to New Wilmington families.
“The student- led group…supplied ‘given grade levels’ free books with a student lesson plan to go with the books that could be used at home,” said Cole. “In the past West Middlesex, Farrell, and Wilmington School District were the schools who we serviced with this yearly project.”
Last year, however, the club decided to head in a different direction.
“It was always my dream to have a Story Time on our Cable Station that would reach the local children and their families,” said Cole. “With the collaboration of The School of Broadcasting and The School of Education, this dream has become a reality.”
The program averages around thirty minutes per episode and is produced and filmed in Westminster’s T.V. studio.
By going in a new direction, this project allows elementary education students to practice the art of reading a story aloud. It has allowed broadcasting students to advance their skills in producing and storytelling by creating a consistent opening and closing of the storytime. Hence, viewers are comfortable with this routine. After reading a story, the project also showcases other segments, such as creating a craft to accompany the book and sometimes an interview with the author/illustrator.
Cole also discussed his plans for the program this semester:
“This semester, we will be showcasing a story written by a local author about a cat who makes his way from The Farm House to The White House. It’s a true story,” said Cole. “We will also be featuring a story about Saving the Bees with the hopes of showcasing our own Bee Sanctuary that is on campus. This collaboration is exciting and is a wonderful way to reach out to the local community and promote the gift of reading.”
