Stepping into the library this year, many returning Loy Norrix students likely noticed something different. 

They may have noticed a few reorganized shelves or perhaps the addition of a jigsaw puzzle set up nearby. The most significant change, however, was the presence of two new faces behind the front desk: Michele Coash, the new librarian, and Skylar Lewis, who works joint duties as both the library assistant and the audio-visual assistant. 

Having transferred from other positions at Kalamazoo Public Schools, these library staff members are determined to use their knowledge of the school to improve the library while maintaining its character.

Michele Coash grew up near Flint, Michigan, and graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in education. She is currently taking online classes at Wayne State University to obtain her library staff certification. 

Outside of the academic world, Coash enjoys arts and crafts as well as role-playing video and board games such as “Dungeons & Dragons.”

Coash, who had previously taught English at Norrix near the end of the 2022-23 academic year, is far from new to managing school libraries. In fact, she started one herself during a previous teaching position.

“I created a library from scratch at my old school,” Coash said. “We didn’t have a library: I worked in an alternative setting with at-risk youth, and there was no funding for a library, no librarian funding. We wrote grants, and I organized the whole thing and put it together with the help of other faculty members during nights and weekends.”

Planning that school’s library, however, was a pivotal moment in her life and led her to re-assess her desires for her career.

“What I really wanted to do was talk to young people and help young people be excited about books and reading and stories in general,” Coash said.

With this interest in mind, Coash approached Norrix Principal Christopher Aguinaga last spring about the recently opened librarian position with measured excitement. It was certainly a mixed bag of emotions. She was nervous to approach such an authority figure but thrilled at such an opportunity.

“I figured the worst-case scenario was that he said no, right?” Coash said. “And I would continue teaching English, which I also love. But I was really, really hopeful that this was how it would end up.”

Looking towards the future, Coash wishes to further develop what students already love about the library. She has taken note of what books students gravitate towards and wants to expand the catalog in those categories. The community puzzle has been well-received, with the first one being completed in less than two weeks. Coash plans to purchase more puzzles as well as some board games for students to use.

Coash is joined in the LNHS library by Skylar Lewis, a former KPS IT department member. Together, they work seamlessly: if they cannot communicate verbally, they sometimes relay information with handwritten notes.

Lewis is an avid reader inside and outside of Norrix, and she enjoys watching or attending baseball and football games in her spare time. 

She grew up in Kalamazoo and is currently working towards her degree in education at Western Michigan University.

Lewis looks back on her time in IT as a difficult experience but one that ultimately helped her transition into her new position.

“I already had an idea as to what the job entailed; if anything, this is kind of a less-stressful version of what I was doing before here,” Lewis said. “So now I only service one building instead of 27.”

As a Loy Norrix alum herself, coming back here to work was always her goal, even before she was recruited to KPS from her previous job at Best Buy.

“It just felt like a good stepping stone to get where I wanted to be,” Lewis said.

Having worked with computers for much of her professional life, first at Best Buy and then for KPS, Lewis is ready to use her expertise to help keep LN’s technology functioning smoothly as the school’s AV assistant. More exciting, however, is her role as the library assistant, where she plans to work with students one-on-one in addition to her other duties.

“I remember how being treated by [LN] staff affected me,” Lewis said. “So knowing that I can be that person to interact with a student to actually help them, instead of holding them back. Being able to look back and know that that [negative comments] was something that happened when I was a student, kind of helps correct the way that I would speak to a child now.”

For Lewis and Coash, their roles in the LNHS library are a thorough culmination of the skills they have built up throughout their lives, and they are confident that those skills will ensure that the library continues to serve LNHS students.

“A lot of people don’t think that kids like to read or have stories in their lives, but they really do,” Coash said. “They really want it, and it was really exciting to me to see that.”

New guidelines for students using the library

• Students may freely visit the library during the 15 minutes before or after school or during their designated lunch periods
• Students may also visit the library during 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th hours with a pass from a teacher
• Chromebook assistance is available during all library opening hours (2nd and 4th hour by appointment only)
• Eating is not allowed in the library