Carmichaels school library commons offers students outdoor learning options
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
Damian Kotyuha, standing left, and Adam Donaldson, standing right, play chess in the Paci Madich Commons at the Carmichaels Area High School library Nov. 9. Students are often found playing chess in the library and the outdoor space.
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
Gary Madich and his wife, Cindy Paci Madich, speak at the dedication of the Paci Madich Commons at the Carmichaels Area High School library Nov. 9.
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
The Paci Madich Commons at the Carmichaels Area High School library was dedicated Nov. 9. Gary Madich and Cindy Paci Madich donated funds for the school to construct the outdoor learning space.
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
The Paci Madich Commons at the Carmichaels Area High School library was dedicated Nov. 9. Gary Madich and Cindy Paci Madich donated funds for the school to construct the outdoor learning space.
Trista Thurston/Observer-Reporter
Students play chess in the Paci Madich Commons at the Carmichaels Area High School library Nov. 9.
CARMICHAELS – Chess is increasingly popular at Carmichaels Area High School, partially thanks to an outdoor, oversized board in the school’s new commons.
During the high school renovation, finished in late 2015, there was an area just outside the high school library used to house temporary classrooms. After those buildings were removed, they left a muddy, unusable mess.
Librarian Cassie Menhart said that she talked with the administration to construct some sort of outdoor area. The issue, though, was finding funding for such a project.
“I had to have a patio,” she said with a smile at the dedication of the new Paci Madich Commons Nov. 9.
That’s where Gary Madich, the 2017 commencement speaker, and his wife, Cindy Paci Madich, stepped in, giving an undisclosed donation to help.
Both 1973 graduates of Carmichaels Area High School, they were looking for a lasting way to give back. The couple now lives in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio.
“This is home for us,” Cindy Paci Madich said. “To think that two rural farm kids with not much guidance were able to be successful.”
They wanted lots of students to be able to use the space, something with life to it that would last way beyond just them. They were excited to help and jumped right in.
“Not only are you thanking us, but we are thanking you,” Cindy Paci Madich said during the ceremony. “Thank you for letting us give back to you.”
Construction began at the end of July, and the patio was finished in mid-September. The couple’s donation has breathed new life into the library and school. Students are constantly in the commons when the weather permits, Menhart said.
“I love showing it off,” Menhart said. “This helped give us above and beyond our 21st-century library.”
The space features an outdoor lecture area and a large Scrabble and chess board. In the spring, the environmental science classes plan to plant native trees and shrubs, as well as construct a butterfly station and pollinator garden. A shed will soon be built to house the oversize chess, checkers and Scrabble pieces.
“This space here, there’s nothing like it in the state,” said school board president Tom Ricco. “No one has an outdoor space for a library.”
Ricco works with Advanced Masonry, which also made a monetary donation to the project. Owner Al Buchtan said he “was happy to be part of this project,” and that the commons is a place where students will be excited to play and learn.
Both teachers and students have been using the commons at every available opportunity.
Menhart teaches chess to seventh- and eighth-graders, and enthusiasm for the game has exploded in the school.
“They learn strategy. There’s so much to be had from learning chess,” Menhart said.
Last year, no one was playing. Now, there are 30 students involved in the school’s chess club, Menhart said. This includes senior Adam Donaldson, who said the commons has brought a spark back to the school.
Members of the club are there in the morning and every other chance they can. Jerome Rafail, also a senior, really enjoys having a place at school to come outside.
“It’s more open than being inside a closed room for eight hours,” he said. “I like sunlight a lot.”
Senior English teacher Brianna Kolencik has used the lecture section for her AP literature class and has brought her creative writing classes to the commons. The lecture seats are separated by a center aisle, making the area great for competitive games. The AP class recently played a catchphrase game reviewing “1984.” She hopes to use the Scrabble board for vocabulary words.