PINETOWN Senior Primary reopened its library recently after it received a complete and exciting make-over.
With the temporary placement of Miss Courtney Koekemoer as librarian came a burst of new ideas for the library, encouraging children to get excited about reading the various fiction books and to value new knowledge with the wide array of non-fiction books.
“If my library looked like this when I was a child, I would have read a lot more,” said Koekemoer.
“The creative décor and comfortable environment will surely improve their education and attitude toward school work. This is incredibly valuable, as the importance of reading to a child’s education cannot be understated,” she added.
The library now boasts bright, colourful walls and book shelves with a combination of the colours green, purple, red, orange, blue and yellow. This has proved to be a great stimulus to the children’s love of reading. When they visit the library they are transported to a world that is saturated with literature. Children are surrounded by a culture of love for literature with walls covered in interesting facts, maps, poetry – hanging from a ‘Poet-tree’ – famous quotes by authors and bumper stickers that encourage reading. There is even a signpost indicating the direction of various fictional places, such as Hogwarts and The Hundred Acre Wood, which brings the fictional books to life.
The most amazing thing about the revamp was that it cost the school nothing. The colourful paint was donated generously by Shave Paints, Pinetown and all the interior décor was donated by Koekemoer and her family. Everything was made from reused and recycled objects.
The school thanked Miss Koekemoer for all her incredible hard work and determination, which is the Word for the Week that is up on the library wall.
Joy Nortje, a teacher’s assistant at the school, said Koekemoer has been such a blessing and they were sad to lose her to an international English teaching programme. She added that it would take a special person to fill her shoes.
“Special thanks also to the dedicated staff members who helped make it all possible. Also to Rose Mbatha, the library assistant, who worked tirelessly and the two handymen, Alfred Ntombela and Michael Mthethwa, for all their hard physical labour. To the Koekemoer family – Daniel, Elsie, Jordan and Stephanie – Pinetown Senior Primary School thanks you enormously for your hard work and the many hours spent sewing pillows for the colourful reading corner,” said Nortje.
