Because of Librarian Anthony, Tony, Powers, a new DePaul College Prep tradition has been born. Every school year, Powers dedicates his time decorating the Carlson Library and sharing seasonal and holiday spirit with the school community. As a result, the place with the most holiday spirit on campus is the school library. Powers’s goal is to grab more students’ attention so that they decide to come in and see what the library has to offer.

Josh Olszewski, an Educational Technology Specialist, spends a lot of time in the library. His office is located in the library, so he helps Powers from time to time. He says that he checks out books for students when  Powers is absent and he also contributes to the seasonal decorations in the library.

“Last year when Mr. Powers wanted to do a Snoopy theme, I got the idea to build this Snoopy dog house just to add a little extra flair to the library,” Olszewski said, adding that it has been one of his favorite decorations to create so far. Every year, the library is decorated to fit new holiday themes, and Olszewski wears holiday costumes that match these themes.

“Two years ago, our theme was the old Rudolph Christmas story, so Mr. Powers asked if I would dress up on the last day as Yukon Cornelius to match the theme,” Olszewski said. In regards to library decorations, he said that “It was fun last year watching people react to it or interact with it… For me, it was fun to see people enjoy it and get a good reaction out of it.” Olszewski decorates for the students and faculty to elevate the environment and energy around the school.

The Rams Read club, one of DePaul Prep’s extracurriculars founded by junior Amanda Westphal, meets monthly in the library. She started the club last year because she loved reading, and a book club was a “staple in every school.” The meetings consist of book discussions, reviews, opinionated feedback and picking out a genre for the following month’s book selections.

She said that the atmosphere has a “welcoming vibe.” She also adds that, “We’re reading horror for November and the library’s spooky decorations creates an ambience.” When she describes the Rams Read club, she says it “builds community coming every time, excited to share what you read.”  The library is important to this club because it represents their interests and hobbies.

When asked why the library is important to him, Powers said, “It is a place on campus that all can feel welcome. You don’t have to be a certain grade level. You don’t have to be an upperclassman, lower classman. The library is for everybody. So whether you’re faculty, administrators, a freshman or a senior, it’s truly a place for everybody.”

“Honestly, Mr. Powers is just an expert resource in general,” Olszewski said. Powers was a librarian for the Chicago Public Library (CPL) for over 30 years. During his time there, he worked with DePaul College Prep President, Mary Dempsey, when she was the CPL commissioner. When he began working at DePaul Prep, he wanted to create the library for the school.

Olszewski said that he and Powers help students with resources. Whenever a student needs or forgets to bring a book for class, Powers will always have a copy for them. “Honestly, [Mr. Powers is ] probably our greatest resource,” he also says. The library offers writing support to help students clear up any confusion when writing a research paper, essay or any type of writing.

Other than managing the library, Powers also goes to classes to teach students about the importance of databases and research resources. He said that he wishes to check in with classes more in the future to help students and interact with students more outside of the library. He also says that the DePaul Prep community should be expecting a new Christmas theme that will be unveiled in the library near Christmas break.