Making Faces

With Halloween a little over a week away, it seemed only natural to have a mask-making workshop. Making Faces: Mask Design Magic debuted during today's Uni Period, attracting those students with a penchant for the paper arts (or with no time to make a full-blown costume). Under the guidance of library assistant Erin, students transformed modest cardstock cut-outs, Modge Podge, tissue paper, and paint into works of art-- mask design magic, indeed!

A beautiful -- and busy -- day in this neighborhood.

The creative juices begin to flow!

Assessing supplies...

Ooh, look at that flair!

Betsy and Hannah know just whom to ask for help-- Erin, of course!

Every mask could use gold studs-- and don't let anyone tell you different.

A superhero in the works...

Colorful and creative!

Erin can tie a mask like no other!

Elizabeth rocks her clever creation.

Alyssa displays the gold mask she made for her sister.

The Three Musketeers...or something like that.

Raine and her Gothic-inspired mask.

Samaia is ready for a masquerade!

A gold mask makes an interesting counterpoint to a jersey.

That Betsy is such a kidder.

Who brought a squirrel into the library?!

The aftermask.

TGIF?

Here at the Uni Library, we have so much fun that we don't know the meaning of the phrase, "TGIF!" Don't believe me? Check out some photos from this week's haps:

We drew on the boards!

We were proud of our drawing on boards!

We got in the "spirit" of the season! (And were proud of our puns!)

We tried to cram notes into our heads!

We decided studying was better with a mustache!

We Skyped with alum Andrew Nguyen, now at Tufts!

We Skyped with alum Isabel Morford-Cheibub, who's taking a gap year in Brazil!

We learned how to make awesome Halloween costumes!

We got personalized costume ideas from Erin!

Best of all, we had glowing arms!

After all that, the weekend hardly seems necessary...but I guess we'll take it.

October Newsletter!

Vegging Out in the Library

A concern for the environment and its resources prompted junior Zina D to research the food industry and examine her diet. This past Friday, she shared what she found -- and the changes she made -- in the first Agora Unleashed session of the school year. For those not in the know, Agora Unleashed is discussion series designed by students for students to share topics relevant to their lives. Zina did a great job kicking off the 2015-16 roster of presenters, with an informed and informative session that generated plenty of conversation among participants!

What's the secret ingredient, you ask? Why, Golden Retriever!

Considering not paltry poultry problems.

Which came first, the chicken or the really big chicken?

Cars v. Forks!

Caught Red-Handed

October can only mean one thing: Banned Books Week! (And pumpkins. And candy. And changing leaves. And footb-- you know what, just go with me here.) I'm proud to say that Uni students did not shirk from the challenge of challenging challenged material. From participating in our daily Banned Books Trivia quiz to getting "booked" for their reading choices, many Uni-ans got in on the act.

So nonchalant in their banned book reading...

Caroline caught reading Slaughterhouse Five-- for shame!

Sutton with Heller-- what could go wrong?

Busted with Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

The Golden Compass? You can't hide, Nicholas!

Anna stands proud by Judy Blume's Tiger Eyes.

Emma loves Harry, despite his reputation in some circles.

They love banned books and they cannot lie!

All Abroad!

Last week, the library had the privilege of hosting Crystal S., a friend of our very own Ms. Atkinson and a brave soul indeed. Just after graduating from UIUC, Crystal took a chance, bought a plane ticket to Guatemala, and began a life in central America. Last Thursday, she visited Uni to tell about her adventures and to offer words of wisdom to students considering a future move abroad. From stories of Guatemala and its native people to learning the language to how she found work (and eventually built a successful career), Crystal's lunchtime visit was enriching and entertaining-- albeit all too brief!

Lunching AND Learning? What a cool library!

Crystal explains Guatemala's annual giant kite festival.

Raise the roof for the awesomeness of adventures abroad!

It's a Happenin', Hoppin' New Year

We have been busy bees here at Uni. Even with the good weather, many days have looked like so:

They know the importance of being earnest.

With every nook and cranny occupied, like this:

Off to a studious start!

And like that:

Windows: bad for surreptitious eaters, great for librarians!

We've hosted drama classes:

Fing's students do a table read of his very own play.

And witnessed use of the new glass marker boards for highly educational purposes:

Subbies Rule-- at least until the Freshmen get a hold of the markers.

We've even had advice requested -- and granted -- from the Dragon:

Ah, the age-old dilemma of a crush...We've all been there!

 

With these auspicious beginnings, we can't wait to see what the rest of the year holds!