When Life Gives You Lemons, Put One in the Library

In between Fair Grove middle and high school, the library serves students from 5th-12th grades and is run by Chanda Lemon, who does that and so much more.

As a librarian Lemon maintains the library collection and helps students find the information they need, she elaborated, “As a school librarian, I help students learn how to find & use information, provide suggestions & recommendations on books & authors, and maintain the library collection.”

By running the library, Lemon provides for students through the variety of books available to check out, ranging from scientific nonfiction to fantasy. She also provides access to computers, connected to the internet and to printers which may not be available to students at home. 

Michelle Wahlquist, an English teacher and the Scholar Bowl coach at Fair Grove, explained the value of the library to her, “I think an accessible library is very important because knowledge is power. Even though we have a seemingly endless amount of information at our fingertips through the internet, we mustn’t forget how to utilize other resources as well. Libraries have evolved over the years to incorporate media as well. Libraries house computers with Wi-Fi and printers which are not always available to students at home. I love books and want students to experience them, not just stare at a screen.”

Running the school library is just one of Lemon’s responsibilities. She is also in charge of the Literature Bowl and Scholar Bowl teams in middle school, and she is the sponsor of Book Club. Lemon does all of this to engage student’s love of learning and for her to continue to discover new facts and keep learning. She expanded, “I have always loved learning something new and  discovering interesting facts when I read or play trivia games. Scholar Bowl, Literature Bowl, History Bowl, & HS Book Club all have those aspects that help to promote literacy & keep our students engaged in learning. I also played on my Academic Decathlon team when I was in high school and that team was a great part of my high school experience.”

Over this year the middle school scholar bowl team has been competitive, placing 7th at the Clever Tournament and 4th in conference. Middle school scholar bowl player Aydan McClinton explained her coach’s impact as, “She made us practice a lot, wasn’t strict but supportive and made sure we did our work.”

Her impact on scholar bowl in Fair Grove does not end at 8th grade, each member of the high school team played under Lemon and are better for it, Wahlquist elaborated “We are so fortunate to have a middle school scholar bowl team; not every school is as fortunate. When students have played at the middle school level, they understand the process and some have already developed a love for the game. She works diligently to teach the middle school players about being a part of a team and committing to tournaments.”

Literature bowl competes once yearly at SBU with a team of fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. They have been working hard at reading and mastering a list of ten books that they will be tested on later this month.

Lemon continues to support these clubs and run the school library while making connections with students in the middle school and high school.