Eagle Scout project aims to create 'little library' at West

The Cranston Herald ·

Colin Theilig is a sophomore at Cranston High School West, a student in the Entrepreneurship program at the Cranston Area Career and Technical Center on campus, and a Boy Scout with Cranston's Troop 22. He’s now wrapping up an Eagle Scout project that will have benefits for many on West’s campus, from the littlest preschool students to the biggest high school students, and the faculty and staff as well.

“I’ve been in scouting for ten years, since I was about six years old,” Theilig said. “A couple of months ago when I started working on my Eagle Scout project, I stopped by the library and asked Ms. [Susan] Evjie if she had any ideas for me, and she said, ‘How about making a Little Free Library?’”

Theilig was familiar with the concept of the Little Free Library, which has taken off all around the globe and is a community space where patrons are free to “take a book, leave a book, or both.” He had also seen them locally.

He decided to create three different custom Little Libraries for his Cranston West and CACTC school communities. One would be housed in the library that Evjie oversees at CHSW for students and staff, one would be housed in a faculty/copy room space on campus for the staff, and one would be specially designed for the CACTC Child Development program’s preschool, which is housed inside of Cranston West. It would have special shelving to house picture books, which are often larger than a typical adult book might be.

Theilig used his resources on campus to do his project, recruiting the help of both construction and art students to create the libraries.

“It took about two or three periods for the construction program [at CACTC] to cut all the pieces, and I’ve had help from another student with the design and stenciling work,” he said. “The planning part actually took much longer. I had to get all of the approvals for the project, make a plan, pitch it to my scoutmaster, to the committee representative [my dad], and to the district representative. Once I did that, I had to get approval from Ms. Evjie, my business teacher in Entrepreneurship, the construction teacher, and from my principal, Mr. Barbieri. There is a lot of paperwork, lots of signatures and dates.”

Theilig decided to paint the libraries in the West school colors of red and gray, and to incorporate red and black for the hand-lettering as well.

Richard Abruzzini, Theilig’s Entrepreneurship teacher, helped him by offering to make a personal donation of the three plaques that would be custom engraved for the Little Libraries. The paint and varnish needed for the libraries were donated by Theilig’s family.

Now that the libraries are assembled, painted and varnished, Theilig is working collaboratively with art student Makayla Vieira on the design and lettering aspects of the project.

“Colin needed an artist and asked me,” said Vieira. “I’d seen them before and I thought it was a great idea, so I said I’d help. I’ve been working on the lettering. As we’ve been working on them, teachers have been seeing them and they think it’s a great idea.”

Theilig and Vieira have continued to spend their time on the Little Libraries, each working together to complete the project whenever they have a few minutes to spare.

“Once they’re done, it’ll take probably several months to get the Eagle paperwork in, and I have one half of a merit badge left to do,” he said.

Evjie is not only thrilled to have the new Little Libraries on campus, but she’s been impressed with Theilig and his responsible ways.

“He was so respectful and he has kept me informed every step of the way,” she said. “From the specs of the libraries to the measuring of the books to make sure they’ll fit on the shelves for the preschool library, he’s been very professional. He emails me, he stops by and he keeps everything organized.”

Theilig anticipates the libraries to be finished and open for the “business” of taking and leaving books in the coming weeks.