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Groovy, Groovy Groo, where are you? At the library!
By Denise Dick
Beloit
Zoinks!
Creativity and cartoon nostalgia unlocked the mystery of the Collaborative Summer Library Program Teen Video Challenge for a group of West Branch High School students.
The 13 sophomores, juniors and seniors in Adrienne Lesnett’s Young Adult Literature class created the winning entry for Ohio.
“We like to think that the fame hasn’t changed us,” joked senior Conni Cross, 18.
The production involved a lot of pieces.
“The theme was ‘Unmasked,’ and they had to create a video of no more than 90 seconds,” Lesnett said. “It had to all be student-driven.”
After a lot of brainstorming, the group selected a Scooby-Doo theme — with a twist.
They call their entry “Groovy Groo and the Book Muncher,” but instead of a dog, Groovy is a giraffe.
“We wanted it to be something that was recognizable,” said sophomore Amanda Woods, 16, who donned a giraffe suit for the production.
The video tells the story of a band of amateur detectives and their giraffe out to solve the mystery of “The Book Muncher,” a malicious book-eating villain — portrayed by sophomore Adelina Buga, 15, wearing a sheet.
Junior Tatiana Ludt, 17, as Thelma; Amanda as Groovy; Conni as Maggie; and senior Sydney Rice, 19, as Frieda, inspired by the cartoon’s Velma, Scooby, Shaggy and Fred, respectively, scour the school library, trying to catch the bad guy.
The Scooby Doo’s Daphne character didn’t make the video’s final cut.
The group nabs the Muncher, foiling its literary feasting, but the creature leaves a note: “And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids,” it read.
Lesnett learned of the contest from the director of the Sebring Branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.
“She said, ‘I know you like to have fun,’” the teacher said.
Lesnett pitched the contest to the class, and students rose to the challenge.
“We’re a fun group,” Tatiana said. “We like to have fun.”
It was a two-week project from brainstorming to completion, and the team managed the project despite winter’s school cancellations and delays.
It fell to director Zoie Bailey, 16, a sophomore, to direct the ensemble, ensuring everyone was where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there. It came with challenges.
“You can’t really yell in a library,” she said.
Sophomore Jordan Brown, 15, handled editing, selecting the appropriate music and synching it with the video to convey the intended mood and message. Contest rules required all music used to be in the public domain because of copyright restrictions.
As the winners for Ohio, the class will get certificates and a $150 prize. They’ll give a portion of their prize to the Sebring library and a portion to the school’s library for books. District librarian Leigh Ann Martin, who allowed filming in the library, played a vital role in the production, Lesnett reasoned.
“If there’s anything left over, we’ll probably have a pizza party,” she said.
Other students who participated in the project are Lindsey Rice, Jessica Lozier, Faith Hall, Samantha Miner, Maggie Stepo and Elizabeth Jarvis.