written by Jason Knebel

VES celebrated its 10th annual Book Night on Sunday, May 8—an appropriate day as books are the mother of the mind, both those fledgling and mature. Book Night is a chance for members of the VES community to bring a favorite book and go home with someone else’s favorite book. The occasion isn’t just a trade of books, but a trade of loved books. These books can end up being quite special—some unknown student ended up with cherished English teacher Bruce McCormick’s copy of The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. Bruce brought the book to the event in 2014 and offered a copious handwritten warning of the naughty parts within the inside cover. The mere existence of that book is a treasure. And perhaps there are similar treasures every year.

Each Book Night is themed and decorated after an iconic children’s book, and this year it was The Wizard of Oz, complete with a scarecrow building station and various students cackling on a bicycle.