As junior Samantha Fercano went to sign her photo-mural, she discovered her pen would not work. 

Thousand Oaks High School photography students were able to submit photos for a chance to have their work presented as a mural in the newly remodelled TOHS library. They chose Fercano’s photo depicting an oak tree.

“It means a lot because it’s not like it’s something that’s just going up like for a short amount of time like it’s going to be there forever,” Fercano said.

TOHS held the grand opening of the new library on Friday, Aug 16. Students, parents, and staff gathered to view the ribbon cutting ceremony and see the library for the first time. TOHS administration and teacher librarian Sarah Burns greeted their guests with smiling faces.

“It’s going to be such a nice place to be, the other place wasn’t anymore, it was old and worn out. It was just not a pleasant place to be,”  Burns said. “Now I have a place to teach, a nice big TV where you can see what I’m teaching, there are computers, a print station, and there is plenty of room for the books and plenty of room to charge.”

The library includes new furnishings, carpeting and shelves. There are desks with outlets for students to work, and there are cushioned chairs for students to relax. The library also includes a conference room and a computer lab.

“The architects really did a good job with the spacing and everything else so that there is space for me to teach, space for people to lounge, smaller work groups, I think it’s going to be awesome.” Burns said. 

In 2009, Assistant Superintendent Lou Lichtl and Burns discussed possible library renovations during Lichtl’s time as principal at TOHS. The funds for the library came from the Measure-I Bond that passed in 2014.

“The seeds to this project were planted long before my arrival,” Bergmann said. “The fact that I was here during the construction and got to see it evolve from the old orange carpet and the nasty smell to this, that was the amazing experience…  I’m just really proud to be able to contribute in some small way.” 

In addition to staff members and teachers, parents, students, and members of the Thousand Oaks community came to celebrate the opening of the library.

“This is really a testament to our community and their support for Measure I,” Lichtl said. “More importantly this will become a great facility a great hub not only for Thousand Oaks High School but for our community.”