Denise Raleigh, division chief, public relations & development Gail Borden Public Library District, Elgin IL
September 21, 2011
A king was kidnapped, swords clashed, buccaneers swash buckled, and pirates sailed the high seas. High drama? Definitely! It was all part of the "Medieval Feast for a Great Cause," an event sponsored by our library to benefit local teens.
Serving teens is one of our top priorities here at the Gail Borden Public Library District in Elgin, IL, about 40 miles northwest of Chicago. Last January, we opened Studio 270, a new teen center. After getting input from teen focus groups, we stocked the second-floor space with laptops, gaming systems, a small performance stage, and an art table. Our goal? To encourage kids to be creative, critical thinkers through hands-on learning experiences with traditional and digital media.
To fully realize that goal, we realized we needed one more major ingredient—a state-of-the-art digital learning lab, where kids could record video projects and learn how to use editing software. But a lab like that requires big bucks, so we started to formulate some fundraising ideas.
There was much clashing of swords before the King was captured.
The pirates urged the crowd on shore to pay Jack's ransom or they'd take him out to sea.
As part of our summer reading pgroam, which was "A Midsummer Knight's Read," we hosted an "Amazing Castle" exhibit with the support of the Library Foundation and the Grand Victoria Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports efforts to strengthen education, improve the environment, and expand economic opportunities throughout our state. The exhibit featured a small town, complete with a pop-up dragon-the perfect backdrop for a fundraiser with a medieval theme, resulting in the "Medieval Feast for A Great Cause."
Our teens were wonderfully enthusiastic about the event. With their help, we concocted a scenario in which pirates would kidnap our honorary king, community supporter Jack Shales, for the night—and then community members would have to pay a ransom to free him. Our teen pirates were so into the story, they even took fencing lessons at the local community college so that their swordplay would look more authentic. Our kids also put together a team of teen photographers, starred in a short movie about what they wanted to achieve in their lives, and took part in a chorus of madrigal singers that performed for audience.
The Elgin High School Madrigal Singers entertained with some enchanting madrigal singing. They also added a rollicking pirate song.
Queen Marlene was forlorn on shore while the pirates held her husband ransom.
It was hilarious to see our merry band of pirates as they held the king ransom on the pirate ship—a pontoon boat moored on the Fox River behind our library. Some of the people onshore pledged sums to free the king, while others made pledges to keep him imprisoned! Fortunately, the "free the king" pledges prevailed, and he was set free to rejoin his lovely wife, Honorary Queen Marlene Shales. The event was so successful that by the end of the night, we'd raised $10,000 for our future digital learning lab.
One of our teens, Jose, spoke about his hopes for the future at the event, saying he wanted to be a cinematographer and a musician. "Most kids spend their time doing Facebook and video games," he said. "I'd rather spend my time doing something more productive." Our library, along with the enthusiastic support many of our townspeople, want to give Jose and many other teens like him the opportunity to make that happen. As one of the young pirates said as he sailed down the river, "Full steam ahead."
This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.
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