MML Teen Programs
Overview
Teens 7th-12th Grade are welcome to use the Teen Zone for resources, a break, or socializing with friends. With the help of our Teen Advisory Council, we strive to provide an environment that is welcoming to all and offers something for everyone. We offer clubs, events, and virtual activities. See below for the details on current Teen Events.
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Suggestions and Comments
Meet TAC
TAC is MML’s Teen Advisory Council. TAC Members are in 7th – 12th Grade. TAC helps plan and organize teen events and activities and helps select new books to order.
*We are currently accepting applications for new members. You can pick up an application at the Front Desk.
Send any questions, suggestions, or recommendations to [email protected].
Current Members:
- President: Sharon Frost, 11th Grade
- Vice President: Jasmine Walton, 12th Grade
- Secretary: Bry Francis, 10th Grade
- Community Manager: Adam Lewis, 9th Grade
- Historian: Hanna Walton, 11th Grade
- Treasurer: Aaron Tenore, 11th Grade
- Franky Duncan, 12th Grade
- Linda Walton, 12th Grade
- Sarah Lewis, 11th Grade
- Sophie Penn, 11th Grade
- Maya Lewis, 12th Grade
- Addie Kilgore, 10th Grade
- Kassidy Reiman, 7th Grade
TAC Activities:
TAC has a hand in planning all of our current events and activities. In the past, TAC has helped plan:
- Teen Tea Parties
- Costume Contests
- Terrarium Programs
- Cupcake Wars
- Murder Mystery Night
- Summer Programming
- Cooking Classes
- Clubs
- Game Nights
- Karaoke Nights
How to Participate
Our summer program works on a raffle system, so it’s up to you how much or how little you participate.
Once you’ve signed up, you can start earning raffle slips. Raffle slips can be earned by attending events, answering Trivia Questions, completing scavenger hunts or other activities, submitting a story to this year’s writing contest, and of course, reading! Everything you do earns you more chances at the prize of your choice.
Ways to Earn Raffle Slips
For each activity you participate in or complete, you’ll earn a different amount of Raffle Slips.
So, let’s break it down.
- Checking out MML Items – 1 slip for everything you check out (yes – EVERYTHING)
- Attending Events – 5 slips for coming to any MML event, with the chances to earn more at Teen Events
- Writing Contest – 30 slips for submitting
- Trivia Sheet – 1 slip for each correct answer
- Scavenger Hunt – 1 Slip for each correct answer
- Coloring Contest – 10 for completing the picture
- Teen Survey – 20 slips
Crafternoons
Tuesdays at 3:30 in the Kerr Garden Room
- June 16 – Painting
- Thrift Store Paintings – we’ll have some paintings to choose from, or you can bring your own if you have something you’d like to paint over/add details to
- Rock Painting
- Musical Canvases (like laying musical chairs, with art)
- June 24 – Crayon Art
- Candle Making
- Drip Paintings
- Making new crayons
- July 1 – Drawing
- Reimagined Book Covers
- Shadow Bouquet Drawings
- July 8 – Tie-Dye
- Spray Tie-Dye
- We’ll have small items available, but feel free o bring your own items as well – must be smaller than a pillowcase
- Alcohol ink marbling
- July 15 – Jewelry Making
- Fiddle Key Rings
- Friendship Bracelets
- Perler Beads
Craft Samples – Note, these are our initial inspiration. We’ll have patterns and specific supplies when we actually do the crafts.
Misc. Teen Events
Join us on Wednesdays at 5:30 for:
- June 18 – Science Night
- Help real scientists with their work through Citizen Science Experiments
- Pictures of Health
- iNaturalist
- LingoBoingo
- Ant Picnic
- June 25 – The Art of Food
- Make your own Pizza and Fruit Pizza
- July 2 – Game Night
- Video games
- Board games
- Trivia games
- July 9 – Book Club
- We’ll discuss Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
- Pick up a copy in the Teen Zone
- July 16 – Art Trivia Night
- Form teams to compete for prizes
- Questions about art, artists, styles, and more
Friday Movies
Join us Fridays at 1:00 in the Multipurpose
- June 20: Twisters Double Feature
- Twister at 1:00
- Twisters at 2:50
- June 27: Wicked
- July 14: Cruella
- July 18: Dead Poets Society
Activities
Complete these to earn Raffle Slips towards your prize goals!
Trivia Sheets: This year’s Trivia Sheet focusses on Art—artists, art styles and movements, works of art, and staff favorites!
*Remember, we don’t expect you to know all of them off the top of your head. Practice your research skills, use library resources, and learn something new!
Scavenger Hunt: Find famous works of art throughout the library share their locations to earn raffle slips.
Coloring Contest: Complete the Starry Night Coloring Sheet to earn raffle slips! Staff will vote on a favorite out of all the pictures returned by July 18 and the winner will earn a prize to be announced after Summer Reading ends.
Survey: Help us plan for next year by completing our survey. The paper version is in your packet and the electronic version can be found at marvinlibrary.org/programs/teens/
Checking Out Items: Every MML item you check out this summer earns you a raffle slip! Explore our shelves and discover all the things we have available to you.
Prizes
- Grand Prizes
- 5 of these awarded at the end of the program
- You pick what you like and put your raffle slips in the bin(s) of your choice
- This year’s prizes include
- Lego Kits
- Games
- Bags
- Gift Cards
- Ohio State Reformatory, Kings Island, and other Tickets
- Weekly Prizes
- Awarded each Monday
- Choose to put your raffle slips in this bin or in the Grand Prize Bins
- Each weekly prize includes candy, card games, themed items, and more
- Door Prizes – You must be present to win these
- Awarded at the Kickoff Party on May 31 and the Final Party on July 18
All raffle slips must be returned by July 18 at 7:00. Winners will be pulled and notified on Saturday July 19.
Short Story Contest
Our annual Writing Contest is optional. You’ll earn 20 raffle slips for submitting a story and be given an opportunity to win an additional prize.
Topic:
Write a historical fiction story featuring an artist.
Rules:
- Your story must happen in the year 2000 or earlier, that way it is historical fiction.
- Your story must feature a famous artist; it can be about them or they can appear in it.
- Stories can be typed or handwritten. Either way, make sure the attached cover sheet has the following information (see attached page for example format):
- Name,
- Age,
- Grade in the Fall,
- Contact Information (phone and/or Email), and
- Year Your Story is Set
- Famous Artist Featured.
To be considered all stories must be handed in by the time the library closes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday July 18, 2025.
Requirements:
Seventh Grade—Twelfth Grade
- Must write at least 1 page, but no more than 5 pages
Prizes:
- First Place: Family Pass to the Columbus Museum of Art and a $10 Gift Card to Paul’s
- Second Place: Creative Writing Kit (includes notebooks, pens, prompt books, and more)
Resources & Research
Mental Health and Other Concerns
Whether you’re in need of help or information, these resources are fantastic:
HowRightNow – An initiative to address people’s feelings of grief, loss, and worry during COVID-19
National Alliance on Mental Illness – Teen/Young Adult Resources
Ok2Talk – The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers a safe space to talk about your needs and/or helping others
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – Resources for Youth
You Matter – The National Suicide Prevention Life sponsored safe space for youth to talk about mental health and suicide prevention
The Trevor Project – Focus on LGBTQ+ Youth, their mental health, and suicide prevention
Ditch the Label – A leading and global youth organization with a focus on bullying, digital wellbeing, mental health, relationships and identity
Love Is Respect – The national resource to disrupt and prevent unhealthy relationships and intimate partner violence by empowering young people
Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown– This is currently Jami’s favorite Podcast. I will share that due to sponsorships and honest conversations, watching/listening is probably best for older teens or as a shared activity between parents and teens. But the additional resources included on the website are great for independent research or anyone just a little curious about what’s going on inside their head.
Resources for Research, Learning, and More
Whether you’re working on something for school or just in search of more information, these resources are great:
OWL
(Ohio Web Library) – Provides research resources & how-to information on topics like Biographies, Car Repair, Academic Research, Literature, Oxford Encyclopedias, Science, Languages, and Historic Timelines.
The Purdue Online Writing Lab is one of Jami’s favorite resources! Use it for help with in-text citations, works cited pages, and general how-to guides
The Smithsonian Institution has several options:
- Smithsonian Open Access, where you can download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images—right now, without asking.
- Because of Her Story, where you can explore women’s history
- The 3-D digitization portal features interactive models
- Smithsonian Science Now offers live-streamed and archived webcasts on a variety of science topics
- The American Democracy Resources Page highlights a diverse array of the Smithsonian’s digital resources that engage audiences around voting, elections, civic engagement, and citizenship
Check out our Digital Resources Page for all of our Digital Offerings, including Hoopla, Niche Academy, and local research.
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