One of the issues that concerns me at HHS is the lack of books being read in the library. The library is the most underused facility in our school, with students going there to socialize during ELT or to work on other assignments. The library contains thousands of books about a variety of different topics, but a lot of those books remain untouched. There are 1600 students at HHS, so there should be more books being checked out.

Mrs. Whitman, a librarian at HHS, believes that the amount of books being checked out at the library is sub par.

“I am pleased with the way our library is being used,” Whitman said. “But the number of books checked out could definitely be more. It can always be more.”

It’s troubling that not enough students are checking out books. Reading develops a creative intuitive mind that students at HHS are lacking. Books open our mind to different realities and allow us to dive into the world the author paints for us in words. Our library is one of the best in the region. It is a very valuable resource to our community; if used correctly, it will increase the intuition of the student body at HHS.

I’m not saying that we make it mandatory that students check out books, but we should encourage it more than we are. Reading can only benefit students. There are no drawbacks to picking up a good book and reading it. Books offer an experience that you can’t obtain from day to day activities. Reading can take you on an emotional ride. Something so simple as a combination of 26 letters on a sheet of paper can induce strong emotions. Connecting with the characters truly gives you a first person experience of a world that you can’t live.

One thing that we can do to resolve this problem is to create a book club. There are so many clubs at HHS, but a reading club is not one of them. The creation of one would benefit the student body and create an environment that encourages reading, which is necessary at a high school.