DHS Welcomes Librarian Ms. Torcasio
NEIRAD enilno edition
After many are getting over the sudden shock of hurricane Irene’s roaring winds, similar winds have passed through Darien High School, bringing change to the library. To the naked eye the library doesn’t look to have changed much, but if one takes a moment to survey the scene, she will notice a new face patrolling the grounds and a new table layout.
This school year, DHS welcomes new Catalog Secretary Ms. Torcasio. Her job requires her to log books in Destiny and keep the books organized. New to the position, Ms. Torcasio hopes to learn on the job in the library. That’s a tall order when students take and return books from the library daily; however the DHS community is lucky to have such a positive and enthusiastic librarian tackle the work.
Joining the legendary staff of Ms. Bennett, Ms. Sapeta, Ms. Hyatt and Ms. Sawitsky, Ms. Torcasio has a lot of work to do to gain the respect of the DHS students. However, early indications show that Ms. Torcasio is adapting well to her new job. “I love the environment” and “[the] staff has been very welcoming,” Ms. Torcasio told Neirad. She has big shoes to fill; the library lost the commanding presence of Ms. Cirino two years ago, the watchful eye of Ms. Marshall, and the guidance of Ms. Timmons this past year.
The position of Catalog Secretary was left vacant by the departure of Ms. Timmons and Ms. Marshall. Ms. Timmons has moved to the IT department, which is located at the Board of Education. Ms. Bennett, head of the library staff, informed that instead of having two part time jobs at the library, they combined the vacant spots and made one full time job for Ms. Torcasio.
With a warm introduction into the school, Ms. Torcasio looks to accomplish some personal goals this school year. She says she wants to meet a lot of the students, even though the fluctuation of students entering and leaving the library seems endless. She also states that she wants to “learn as much as I can” about the DHS community and her new job. The job was enticing to Ms. Torcasio, for she was “looking for a job with children,” and she is glad that her search led her here. The DHS community will appreciate the hard work Ms. Torcasio will put in this year.
Along with adding a new librarian, the library also moved around tables and desks. Where there were once four tables, located near the cubbies, there are now only two left as well as a desk for a librarian. These tables were a major scene for juniors and seniors last year. The four tables were also a source of many issues. The librarians would often expel students for unruly behavior that originated in the area. These expulsions could last in excess of a day depending on the severity of the misdemeanor. The area was accustomed to seeing Ms. Bennett quite often, asking students to please quiet down or leave.
As the school year slowly progresses, students are becoming aware of the changes. “I didn’t really notice the significance of the four tables until they were gone. They are a classic example of you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” said senior Cal Kevorkian. It has left many students upset and angry. “I think they changed the area for the ludicrous reason of us being too loud. They claim it was moved to fit a new librarian; however I feel this is erroneous to a new level. I feel that students will feel the need to pull more shenanigans to retaliate against such totalitarianism,” Cal also said. “I strongly disagree with the decision to move the tables because all it did was spread the noise,” added senior Lauren Perry. Cal has taken matters into his own hands though: “Several propositions have been made to the librarians, however these propositions are still pending. Students may need to find an area of refuge, a place to be noisy, perhaps a nook of some sort.”
Ms. Bennett, on the other hand, explains that the desk has nothing to do with the student concerns. She explains that the desks were moved to help the students. She stated, “Instead of having two people in the back, we chose to have one work with the student.” The librarian sitting next to where students sit, will be more accessible. When asked about the location of the desk, Ms. Bennett understood that it is the not the most ideal spot for students. However, electrical outlets made it difficult to place the desk anywhere else in the library. “It just had to go there,” she said. The two other desks, though, have been moved to other locations in the library, so no seating was lost. The library can still seat the number of people it did last year.
With the addition of a new librarian, the DHS library looks to be more useful to the students. Ms. Bennett and Ms. Torcasio, along with the other librarians, hope to have a successful school year.
