If you were to ask anyone at the high school, aside from freshmen, about something that characterizes the year so far, I guarantee that almost 100 percent of people would say “change”. One of these many changes concerns the addition of a formal librarian and the reorganization of the new “Learning Commons,” formerly known as the Library Media Center.

So why is the library called a “learning commons”? I interviewed Mrs. Benz and she told me that a learning commons is a combination of what libraries and media centers are, and that she hopes to have it be more than just a library or media center.

“Obviously a library is a room that houses a collection of books. A media center is a place that houses media for consumption. So a learning commons is really a place where you have a collection, you have exposure to media, but you are also given a chance to create.”

The 2015-2016 school year is the first year since the 2012-2013 school year that VHS has  hired a certified librarian. Mr. Arthur Acquaviva, known familiarly to students and staff as “Mr. A,” was the librarian until the end of the 2013 school year. However, he fell ill and was unable to come back the following year. Two long-term subs, Mr. Neglio and Mrs. Schoenenbaum filled in until the start of this school year.

Hired over the summer, Mrs. Benz went immediately to work redesigning the space.  The new learning commons features a new layout, with different table sections and fewer bookshelves. The movement of the bookshelves to the far right wall truly shows how big the learning commons is. There are three sections: an individual study section with pillows and two chairs, one small table arrangement, a small group section with tables of four and charging stations, and a large community table closest to the computers for large group work.  The learning commons also features a small area where student can buy coffee and snacks..

Mrs. Benz was born in Brooklyn, but grew up in Spain and lived there for six years. Her parents spoke Spanish as their native language, but wanted their daughter to be exposed to English. So they brought her to the library, a place with vast access to books and knowledge. It eventually became the way that she learned English.

She earned her undergraduate degree at Ramapo College, where she was an English major.  She got her Library Science master’s degree at William Paterson University. She often calls herself a “perpetual student”, and plans to go back to college again in the future.

Having worked in the elementary, middle and high school level libraries, she has experienced many different types of libraries and the people that come with it. She says that she likes the high school level the most though. “I just feel at home at the high school level. I feel like there’s a lot of things that we can do here that maybe can’t be done in the lower grades.”

But why did she choose Verona? “The reason why I decided to come to Verona was because I just think that the student body is very passionate about the town, very passionate about like improving and beautifying the school, and I’m just very excited to be a part of it.’”