Learning center gets upgrades
BY SANDY ILLIAN BOSCH sbosch@pioneerlocal.com February 7, 2012 8:32PM
Burr Ridge, IL - Friday, January 27, 2012: 5th grader Caleb Lockett (Burr Ridge) gets some help from Burr Ridge Middle School's librarian Renata Butauskiene with one of the new lap tops. | Steve Johnston~for Sun-Times Media
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Updated: March 10, 2012 8:11AM
It’s called the Reading Corner, but that’s just one of the things that students can choose to do in this comfy new nook of the Burr Ridge Middle School Learning Center.
“It’s just a cozy place for the students to come,” said Renata Butauskiene of the Burr Ridge Middle School Learning Center.
In May, Butauskiene was awarded a grant from Delta Kappa Gamma- Lambda State, the state branch of Delta Kappa Gamma International, an organization for women educators.
Butauskiene received nearly $3,000 to turn a corner of the library into an exciting place for children to visit before, after and during school. She used the money to equip the corner with nonfiction books, Accelerated Reader quizzes, and an iPad2.
Meanwhile, Butauskiene found money in the library budget to purchase furniture, a television and a Wii system.
“I think it is amazing. The reason I like it is because we get to read there, hang out, play games, and much more,” said student Kimberly Ortiz.
Students can use their Chieftan Change — currency earned through good behavior and good grades — to buy time in the Reading Corner. There, they can play games, use a computer, curl up with a book or even do their homework.
Butauskiene said children visit and enjoy the corner every day, and will continue to for years to come.
“I think it is a very quiet, fun, and peaceful place. I think it is a kids’ Dream Palace,” student Nina Spiller said.
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