PORT ANGELES — The sun shone on Jefferson Elementary School as about 30 children, parents and community members gathered for the grand opening of a new little free library.
Carol Weiler, a Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) regent, started the Saturday ceremony about 11 a.m.
Afterward, attendees sat on the hillside and listened to stories told by John Berthol and Christy Wright. Children received gift bags and there were cookies for all to enjoy.
More than 15 people were involved in creating the little free library. Those partnerships “showed how we can all work together to bring huge successes for our local community,” said Ginny Wagner, DAR project chair for the library.
The library’s story began when the DAR was awarded a $1,000 grant from Hartnagel Building Supply.
“That’s how this building over here, this tiny little thing, got started,” Weiler said, motioning to where the library is located on the corner of Chase and 12th streets.
After that, the DAR worked with Elise Sirguy, Mallory Hartman and Mahayla Amendolare, students from the Stevens Middle School civics club, to create the project proposal and see it through to completion.
These students spent “loads of hours” across several months working on this project, Amendolare said. Now that it’s finished, she said it feels good to see people excited about something she spent so much time on.
The library was built by Robert Kennedy, Xxzayvyon Square and Ewan Mordecai-Smith, three Port Angeles High School students in wood shop class. Retired wood shop teacher Tim Branham and current wood shop teacher Paul Arndt provided support.
There was a learning curve to build the library, Square said, because the students hadn’t done anything like that before. In all, Mordecai-Smith said they spent about 15 hours building it.
Now that it’s up, he said it “feels good to be part of the community.”
Branham painted the library, and the Port Angeles School District maintenance crew installed it, Wagner said.
“It was a true community project,” said Wagner, who spent about 200 hours working on the project.
The little library, painted with the Jefferson Elementary School logo, “represents what Port Angeles has always done,” said Stevens Middle School teacher Rob Edwards, who helped coordinate the project. “When there’s a need, people step in.”
There are more than 150,000 little free libraries worldwide. Now that this one is complete, Wagner said those in the community can “take part in the great movement of sharing books.”
Lucy Edwards, a kindergarten teacher who helped coordinate the project, said many of the elementary school children were excited for the library to be established.
Community members already have filled the little library with donated books. More will slowly rotate in and out as community members stop by and pick up a free book or leave one of their own.
“I hope it stays full of books all the time,” Lucy said.
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Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
