image thanks to flickr user coderkind

Today at 4 PM, come by the Teen Lounge to compete in a video game tournament. Win prizes! Hang out with your friends. See you there!

Please note: we are cancelling Study Sesh this week, but it will return next week at a new time: 4 PM.

Everyone who entered the Teen Writing Competition produced amazingly talented work. We would like to honor those who entered at our awards celebration, where the winners of the competition will be announced by our guest judges Melissa Crandall, Dulcy Brainard and Madge McKeithen and the prize money will be given out. Your families are invited to join you.

Come celebrate your accomplishments!

Sunday, March 21 in the Community Room at 3 p.m., join us for an awards ceremony and reception, and receive your complimentary copy of a book including all of the amazing entries in our First Annual Teen Writing Competition.

If you entered your work in the competition and did not receive an evite to this event, please email Heather at hmartyn@darienlibrary.org or call 669-5225 to RSVP.

image thanks to flickr user _ambrown

We know how stressful college admissions can be. There are so many things to consider -- the essay, the interview, SATs, and finding ways to stand out among all the rest. You can never get too many tips on how to prepare yourself for the admissions process, so Darien Library is hosting a new series for students of all ages and their families this spring. College Admissions 101: Resources for Families is a two-part panel series this April. Please join us!

The Admissions Process, Thursday, April 1 at 7 p.m. in the Community Room

Featuring:

• Lindsay Slattum, Associate Director of Undergraduate Admission, Fairfield University
• Paul Ribeiro, Director of Guidance, Darien High School
• Kristin White, author of The Complete Guide to the Gap Year
• Stephanie Klein Wassink, Principal, Winning Applications, LLC

Advice for Student Athletes, Thursday, April 22 at 7 p.m. in the Community Room

Find out about how the highlight reel works, what student athletes need to know before sending in their applications, and what advice current college athletes have for high school students.

Featuring:

• John Keleher, Director of Athletics, Darien Public Schools
• Mo Minicus, Darien High School Boys Field Hockey Coach
• Kelly Vegliante, Darien High School assistant coach and parent of a college athlete
• Mary Bennett, parent of college athletes
• Stephanie Janasiewicz, varsity soccer player, Purchase College
• James Wyper, varsity runner, Yale University

A question-and-answer period will follow each panel presentation, and we invite those who attend to join us for refreshments after the session.

For questions, please call 669-5225.

image thanks to flickr user chatirygirl

Every Saturday at noon, meet in Power LIbrary Study Room 1 to knit your heart out. All teens are welcome -- just drop in whenever you want. Get help with your existing project or start a new one, and best of all, spend time with friends old and new.

Fun inside!

Answer the following questions correctly in a comment to this post, to be entered into a prize drawing. Two (2) winners will receive a $5 gift certificate to the café and a galley book!

1. How many Mac computers are in the Teen Lounge? Hint
2. How many PC computers are in the Teen Lounge? Hint
3. What gaming consoles are available to play in the Teen Lounge? Hint
4. Which day of the week is Teen Chess Titans usually held? Hint
5. How many Teencasts have been made? Hint
6. What is the name of the popular teen program on Wednesdays? Hint
7. What's the Tuesday program where you can study, get homework help and enjoy snacks too?  Hint
8. Who are the teen librarians? (Hint: Read below)
9. Does Darien Library have a fan page for its Teen Lounge? Yes or No? Hint
10. The Library circulates games for which two consoles? Hint

Stuck on a question even after all the Hints? Search our website, explore the Teen Lounge or ask a Teen Librarian!

OTHER FUN THINGS TO DO!

Become a FAN of the Teen Lounge on Facebook! A random fan wins a prize every month!
Up to speed on twitter? Follow us at @darienlibrary
Sign up for an account on our website, browse the Teen section and post a comment on a post, such as these about your Teen Librarians: Alex, Heather and Sarah!
 

Josh Lieb is a producer on The Simpsons and The Daily Show, and is the author of I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President.  Given Lieb’s credentials, I am a Genius... could be funnier, but this is still a good book.  It is the story of Oliver Watson, a super genius.  While most of us have a few hazy memories of our first five years, Oliver remembers the sound and smells of his birth.  His second memory is of realizing that his soft, sloppy, simple mother will be terrified of his intelligence, while his self-absorbed, condescending father doesn't deserve to know he has produced a genius son.  Oliver decides then and there that he will pretend to be an idiot, while secretly organizing his business and criminal empire. 

By 12, Oliver is the third richest person in the world, but at school and home he acts like a simpleton who can barely tie his own shoes.  When the meanest girl in school nominates him for class president, he declines, but after listening to his father’s sanctimonious speech on the value of student government, he decides to run.  Oliver doesn’t want to be class president: he wants to get his father to notice him and to crush his father’s spirit.  What follows is a campaign like no other: Oliver will stop at nothing- not destabilizing nations, stealth missiles, manipulating the press or hiring a girlfriend for his opponent's dad- to be class president. 
 

Our Film Series for Teens, co-sponsored by the Darien YMCA, continues. 

On Saturday March 13,  at 6 p.m., we will be showing Pleasantville (rated PG-13), starring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy,and Reese Witherspoon. In this film, two teens find themselves transported into a 1950s sitcom.

A discussion will follow the film. Snacks will be served.

For more information, contact Sarah Ludwig at (203) 669-5225. 

This event is for teens ages 12 and up.

And on Tuesday, make sure to stop by Study Sesh at 3:00 and Teen Chess Titans at 5:00. Yeah, they're not tech-y, but they're still great.

The Teencast is back, and as awesome as ever.  As usual, the guys, Stephen, Jack and EJ, with newcomer Mika, and our sound editor Chris, take on every topic imaginable.  This month: duct tape, games, Avatar, the Olympics and for the first time ever, a blooper reel!