Students enjoy media center, reading pit

By Carol Rolf

LITTLE ROCK — The media center at Cedar Ridge High School is a busy place.

Once known only as the “library,” this room is still filled with books, but it’s also filled with computers, which more and more students have become proficient at as they progress through their years of education.

“Our media center is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily,” Principal Danny Davis said. “It’s open to anyone. It’s also available Saturday mornings to students.

“We hope to have a computer lab in there next year.”

Don Balentine serves as the school’s librarian. Balentine, who has a degree in library science from the University of Central Arkansas, came to the school district in 1978. He’s been at the high school since 1995.

“I’ve seen an increase in the use of the library,” Balentine said. “Now that we have computers in there, a student can come in on his own time and work or he can come in with his class. It’s set for use either way.”

Balentine said there is also a “ network printer” in the library that can be accessed from anywhere in the area. “That’s pretty neat,” he said.

“We have a good selection of books,” Balentine said. “We have more fiction than anything else but we do have a wide selection of nonfiction as well. And we have a good selection of books about Arkansas.”

Balentine said some students do not have a computer at home so he or she can use those set up in the library.

“I’m usually here by 7:15, 7:30 in the morning, and there are usually three to five kids here by then,” he said.

Located just outside the media center in the commons area of the high school is the “reading pit.”

“Literature circles will often meet in the pit,” Davis said.

A literature circle is a small, peer-led discussion group whose members read the same books.

Featuring several large, colorful overstuffed sofas and chairs, the pit is “set up for literature circles so the students can sit and discuss books,” Davis said. “We’ve also had some speeches presented there.”

Whitney Crutcher, a junior at thehigh school, said, “We’ve used it for class meetings.”

Caitlin Bumpous, a ninth-grade student, said, “It’s pretty awesome. It’s very comfortable.”

Pepsi McCoy, who teaches both English and journalism at the school in Newark, said she has taken some of her classes to the pit to meet as literature circles.

Junior Bailey Martin said, “The reading pit is very relaxing, always well-lit and comfortable. There’s not as much pressure there as in the classroom. I usually go there with a class.”

Beyond offering a comfortable, relaxing environment in which students can learn, Davis said there’s a greater purpose for the pit.

“We hope, in the long run, the reading pit will help increase our students’ literacy scores,” Davis said. “Reading increases vocabulary, which in turn increases literacy scores.”

Davis said prior to last summer, the space that now houses the literacy pit was “ just an empty space. We revamped it this past summer, and it’s been very well accepted.” - crolf@arkansasonline.com

Three Rivers, Pages 57 on 05/08/2008