The Washington High School Library finally has an official librarian, Mr. Swenor.
Previously, he taught at Orchard Middle School in San Jose. “I taught social studies, and after that, I wanted to take a step up and start teaching high school and this new opportunity came up,” he said “As a history major, I love books too.”
Swenor has a number of interesting hobbies. “I’m an avid comic book collector,” he says. “I am reading DC Sandman and Marvel Vampires.” In addition, Swenor says, “[I’m] really into sports: my teams are the Raiders and Giants. [I also enjoy] reading and listening to podcasts.” His favorite book of all time is East of Eden by John Steinbeck, a book he read in high school. “It is really interesting since it takes place close by in Salinas and I kind of know the area,” he says.
We asked one final hypothetical question: what book would a librarian bring if they were ever stranded on an island? “I would probably bring Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States,” he says. “I read this book in high school and it tells US history in a raw form from the perspective of the ground up.” For example, it includes “details in Christopher Columbus’s journal [about] how he wanted to enslave the indigenous people when he first came to America.”
Finally, Mr. Swenor spoke about the services he provides other than lending out books. “We provide computers for research, and have a database where students can check out [resources] for any projects or assignments,” he says. “I also educate classes about misinformation around the internet and how to check whether that website is a reputable source.”
Aaron Arora, a junior at Washington High School and an avid patron at the Washington High School Library, gives his thoughts about the space: “The library is pretty clean, and a lot of people have been checking out the library,” says Aaron.
Sebastian Hernandez is a junior at Washington High School. He was born in Fairfield then moved to Fremont, CA in 2023. This is his first year with The Hatchet. He is interested in covering music, retro games, physical media, movie reviews, and arcade sticks. His favorite hobbies are hiking, biking, playing basketball, drawing, playing fighting games, and caring for his CRT TV. In the future Sebastian wants to go to college and become a nurse, and a repairman for CRT TVs restoring them to their glory. Going to the Philippines to visit his family members and going to the tropical beaches.