Memorial
Donation to our Library!
By Sue
Hardy, Library and Tech Teacher
When I
started teaching at Essex Elementary, some 30+ years ago, there was a fifth
grade teacher named Di Athens. She had a passion for art and loved to share it
not only with the students in her class but with the whole student body. She
would visit the classrooms and talk to the children about well-known artists
and show examples of their work. Through her guidance and expertise the
children learned how to look at art. While she retired a number of years ago,
her legacy is ever-present in our school today. Every classroom received a
large, beautifully framed copy of a well-known piece of art. Some examples
include Degas’ Ballerinas, Winslow
Homer’s Boys in a Pasture and Georgia
O’Keeffe’s Light of Iris. Her
generosity didn’t end there though. She donated hundreds of smaller prints to
the library for the children to check out. She taught them how to store it in
its secure envelope for safekeeping on the way to and from school. The students
would share what they learned with their families when the print was on display
in their home. These prints have been carefully stored in the library and will
be shared with the district’s art department for teaching purposes.
Mrs.
Athens passed away this past spring. Her brothers have made a generous donation
to our library. With her in mind, we chose books that reflect the love she had
for the arts and children. When your child brings one of these library books
home you’ll find a bookplate inside the front cover recognizing the donation
and her continuing influence on the children of Essex. Please feel free to come
to the library yourself and see these additions to our collection.
