Two Port Washington Public Library summer employees, Angela Parada and Jazmin Ramirez-Rodriguez, played crucial roles in the library’s programming for Spanish speakers after noticing a need for help.
Parada, who is starting her freshman year of college, and Ramirez-Rodriguez, a junior at Schreiber High School, were originally hired at the library to help the director of Children’s Services, Rachel Fox, with reshelving books and other organizational duties.
Fox had a bi-lingual full-time employee who helped with the Spanish-speaking portion of the library programs who left at the beginning of the summer.
“When I lost her, we really thought we were going to have to cancel doing these programs,” Fox said.
After noticing that the library needed help with programming for Spanish speakers, Parada and Ramirez-Rodriguez volunteered to assist.
Parada and Ramirez-Rodriguez assisted with the library’s Sprinkle of Spanish storytime program and provided translation services for the Parent Resource Center’s Stepping Stone Summer Enrichment Program at the Sands Point Preserve Conservancy.
For six weeks, the girls worked with Fox to assemble the Sprinkle of Spanish storytimes and did back-to-back storytimes twice for the Stepping Stone Summer Enrichment Program.
While Fox would oversee the planning process behind the storytimes, she gave the girls the tools to organize the plans themselves.
“We would pick out a few books to read in English and Spanish, plan songs to sing in English and Spanish and discuss themes for the storytimes,” Fox said. “After the first week, the girls would come to me with ideas and books. We would sit down and discuss what would work and what wouldn’t.”
Fox said that while both girls received a great learning experience working at the library, Parada got a taste of what she would be doing when she started her studies at college to become a teacher.
“I had these two shy kids really blossom from this program. They stepped up to the plate,” Fox said.
Town of North Hempstead Council Member Mariann Dalimonte joined the library staff in honoring the girls for their efforts in assisting the library and the community’s children.
“Their efforts and energy helped dozens of children and their families have an incredible summer,” Dalimonte said.
Fox said that because of Parada and Ramirez-Rodriguez’s help this summer, their audience for the Sprinkle of Spanish storytimes grew. Fox is discussing continuing Ramirez-Rodriguez’s help with the program throughout the school year.
“We hope to do the program together once or twice a month after school on the weekdays,” Fox said.
To learn more about the programs the Port Washington Public Library offers, visit pwpl.org
