J.N. Ervin students to make lasting impression on new city library

Librarian Cheryl Franklin is on a mission to encourage her students to fall in love with the library. On Monday, Sept. 29, she will have a chance to cement that idea in the minds of her students at J.N. Ervin Elementary School.

Franklin will conduct a field trip for 28 K-5 students to the city’s newest library, the Highland Hills Branch, at 6200 Bonnie View Road, blocks away from Ervin Elementary.

The students aren’t just visiting the new site. They will leave a lasting impression of their handprints in the cement near the library entrance as part of a pre-opening ceremony. Dallas Councilman Tennell Atkins will speak to them about the importance of their families using the library as a learning resource, and branch manager Lee Detzel will take the students on a private tour of the 19,570-square-foot facility.

Franklin said she’s preparing her students for the experience by teaching them about the library’s role as an important community service. She’s also emphasizing that their selection for the trip means they are representing their families and peers, and that the library opening is a cultural celebration to which they’re being specially invited.

The new library will conduct a formal opening celebration for the entire community at 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 18.