As elementary students rushed to their classrooms on the first day of school, Aug. 29, many were unaware that a newly renovated lower school library awaited them on the second floor of the 6000 building. With painted waterfalls sweeping through the staircase, the library renovation was a project picked up by Artistic Director Kevin Hale and Co-Director of Fine Arts Jonathan Reid, an alumnus, who worked to make Dr. Laurie’s dream a reality.

 It began with a meeting at the lower school library with Dr. Laurie, Mrs. Leslie Wood, and Mr. Jonathan Reid where they discussed new ideas revolving around incorporating nature into the library’s peaceful environment to fuel the imaginations of young students. After the meeting, Mr. Reid developed these ideas to fit functional purposes such as shelving and seating. 

 During the summer, around 40,000 books were packaged into 300 boxes that were moved and stored by Maintenance Chief William Arcila and his crew.

As Hale and his artistic team developed the 3-D foam applications for the interior,  the stained glass artwork, the seating and the intricate door design, Reid worked to perfect the illustrations in the stairwell over  the span of three months. The work consisted of five murals that were sketched and transferred into multiple softwares to be perfected and sent off to printing and painting companies.

  “I was back and forth with the painting company to get everything perfect after it was submitted,” Reid said.

After the image wrapping and painting companies applied the new prints, Reid hand painted the stairs, making sure to communicate the effect of a cascading waterfall. 

By strategically illustrating the landscape, Reid was able to create an immersive experience for the younger generations as per Dr. Laurie’s request.

“The little kids love it. But what’s super exciting is the big kids are so excited to see it,” Christina Mikkelson, a lower school librarian, said. Faculty has also seen an increase in student collaboration across 6th grade and Pre-K 3.

With the new renovations, students are not distracted by the design, but rather more comfortable with reading as book circulation increases with easier accessibility since the removal of a desk that stood at the right side of the entrance to the library.

“I’m even more happy to come to the library everyday, knowing that I work in such a magical place where imagination and creativity are always encouraged,” Mikkelson said.