As the school year has gone into full swing, clubs have officially started, including Library Council, centered around reading advocacy. Along with reading to elementary schoolers, members of the club donate books to schools within the district and hold fundraisers. 

    Only in its second year, Library Council has already had a lot of success in promoting its message of reading, not just in the high school but the entire district. Still, Kaylee Gorsegner, president of the club, is helping to continue to spread their message and is working on plenty of plans that will benefit members of the club and other students in the high school.

    ”We have a library card sign-up that is completely free for kids to do at lunches,” she said. “[Additionally] in May, we are going to the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.”

    And the work doesn’t end there. Along with donating books to elementary schools and promoting reading to everyone, the Library Council volunteers at Central’s elementary schools to bring reading to children through activities, crafts and read-alouds. Rebecca Jensenius, the library media specialist and club advisor, notes that not only do the high school volunteers encourage positive reactions from the younger students, but the other benefits are great as well.

    “The elementary schoolers look up to them,” she said. “They formed such great relationships with the kids just with one or two visits.”

    In recent years, the council has partnered with the Chick-Fil-A Leadership Club to strengthen the skills high school students develop while in the council. 

    “Every month we do a leader lab and it hits on different skills,” Jensenius said. “We do vision values, servant leadership, teamwork [and] communication.”

     But, with so many plans for the future, a club like Library Council needs funding to make it happen. However, Jensenius already has plenty of plans to raise enough money to continue to spread its message and encourage everyone to get out and read.

    “We are going to do a Pura Vida sale with Central York colors,” she said. “We may do another book drive as well.”

   With such a busy schedule and so many upcoming plans, Library Council sure has its hands full. But, with the new year comes new people, and an opportunity to do bigger, better things. Gorsegner mentions that with its new members, they’ll have multiple sets of hands to get everything done.

    “I’m excited because we have a lot of new enrollment,” she said. “We’re gonna be able to do a lot more [like] fundraisers [and] elementary readings.”