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Aldergrove librarian creates Anti-Valentine’s day wall

Katie Caine created the display in hopes of cultivating students’ desire to read more.
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The book display includes candies, grumpy cat quotes in hearts, memes and other satirical additions. (Langley School District Photo)

The devoted librarian at Aldergrove Community Secondary School erected an anti-Valentine’s day book wall for students Monday morning.

The display includes candies, grumpy cat quotes, hearts, memes and other satirical additions.

“It is the first thing students see as they walk into the library,” said Katie Caine, a teacher-librarian whose been working at the high school for nearly 3 years.

Caine created the display in hopes of cultivating students’ desire to read.

“It’s part of my job to get them interested in reading,” she said.

“I know they all have textbooks for their classes… but it’s also about reading for pleasure and enjoyment, or for escape, rather than sitting on their phones and scrolling,” said Caine.

What first gave this librarian the idea for the anti-Valentine’s day wall? Popular opinion.

“I found my kids just weren’t interested in the typical definition of romance.

They wanted realistic stories of characters struggling with love and trying to find themselves…

and not just heterosexual relationships either.”

For this reason Caine has made every effort to include books that showcase non-binary love as well as same-sex relationships between both males and females.

The Media Centre of the Langley School District tweeted out a photograph of the display on February 1.

The anti-Valentine’s day wall will be up for students to chose books and eat sweets from until the end of February.

The teacher-librarian at the Aldergrove high school is tasked with creating a new themed reading display for high-schoolers each month.