January Events

We have not been able to get the January '09 events up yet because we have had a busy Christmas/New Years' Break. But we have got some great stuff happening!

January 9th- 6-8 pm- Game Wars

January 8th- 4-5:30 pm- Teen Advisory Board Meeting

January 10th- 3-4:30 pm- Dr. James Perkins, Author will discuss his book Playbook for Christian Manhood:12 Key Plays for Black Teen Boys (Judson Press, 2008). Books will be available for sale from Bookbeat.

January 23rd- 4-6 pm- Anime Club:

January 24th- 4-5:45 pm- Science Career Workshop (Registration Required)

January 31st- 2-4 pm- Scrabble Tournament

Teens Top Ten Books

Teen readers selected the 2008 Teens Top Ten(TTT) books during Teen Read Week in October 2008.Youth across the country voted for their favorites among twenty-six nominated titles. More than 8,000 online ballots in addition to votes from the TTT groups, determined the top books of the year. The list below is ranked by the number of votes received.

1. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
4. Vampire Academy by Rachel Mead
5. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
7. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
8. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
9. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
10. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Information taken from Voya Magazine, Volume 31, Number 5 December 2008

Noel Night

Hi Everyone, this coming Saturday will have an evening of fun at the HYPE Teen Center.

The 36th Annual Noel Night will be taking place in Detroit's Cultural Center.

Many cultural institutions will be open from 5-9pm free of charge!

These include, The Detroit Institute of Arts, The Detroit Historical Center, Wayne State University, and The Detroit Public Library.
The HYPE Teen Center will feature a preview performance by the Teen Readers' Theater.

So come out and enjoy the holidays with a fun Saturday night in the Cultural Center!

New HYPE Anime Club!

The HYPE Teen Center is starting a brand new Anime Club!

Come join us as we discuss the latest Anime to come out of Japan, along with some of the classics.

Videos will be shown on our video projector in the HYPE Teen Center.

We need you to help us, since the club gets better with each persons knowledge and participation.

The first HYPE Anime Club Meeting will be held on Friday, November 21, 4:00-6:00pm.

See you there!

More Gaming Coming Soon...

The ALA TechSource Gaming, Libraries, and Learning Symposium has been in session over the past three days.

We've heard a lot of great ideas for expanding gaming and learning at the HYPE Teen Center. Video game programming and collaboraing on group projects are themes we will be promoting in the new year. Mini Golf as a library fundraising event was also discussed, with a real mini golf course for us to try out. A few pictures from the meeting are posted below.

If you have any ideas for games, video or analog, please let us know!

Calling All HYPE Teens!

What's Up!!! We have had a great time at the HYPE Teen Center but we have so much more space for many more teens. Its not too late to join us. Take a look at pictures from our Masquerade Ball last week.

We will host a Mock Election and Debate on Thursday from 4-5:30 pm. We will have Barack Obama and John McCain square and answer the tough questions that you need the answers to--ok, well, we're gonna have teens square off. Come and get in on the action as we hear what your opinions are in this historic election year. BTW, we hope all registered 18 year olds and older make sure you get out to vote November 4th!

Halloween Movie Night!

This coming Friday, October 17, from 6-8pm The HYPE Teen Center will be showing Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Please come join us as we view this classic movie about the spirit of all holiday seasons. Popcorn will be provided free of charge!

Author Visit - Denise Crittendon

Wednesday, October 15, 5:00-6:30 pm

Featured author will discuss her latest book, “Life Is A Party with Exams” which uses music, video game imagery and sports to lead teens on an exciting journey into self-fulfillment, dignity and empowerment.

Please join us for this evening of discussion with Ms. Denise Crittendon!

Back to School Bash!

On Friday, September 19 from 6-9pm, the HYPE Teen Center in partnership with Detroit Parent Network presents an evening back to school bash just for teens!

Activities will include learning what you need to do in preparing for college, with many guest speakers.

We will also have fun events such as video game competitions, lifestyle consultants, and an open mic on our stage.

So, please come join us as we celebrate the start of the school year, and the future of your education!

Thank You!

It has been 3 months since the opening of the HYPE Teen Center, and the response from our teens has been fantastic!

Daily attendance of the HYPE Teen Center has averaged 60 teens per day who have signed in, along with many visitors who have come to tour the Center first hand.

The HYPE Summer Camps were all well attended with teens learning about topics including: Robotics, Computer Aided Design, Business Development, and 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.

Thank you to everyone who has come out to make the HYPE Teen Center one of the best library teen center's in the country.

We have many programs and classes planned for this coming Fall 2008. So, please keep an eye on us for more great things in the future!

Sincerely,
The HYPE Teen Center Staff

Video Game Competition Tomorrrow

Our monthly "Game Wars" video game competition will be held on Friday August 8, from 4pm-6pm. The main contest will be with Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Nintendo Wii.

The HYPE Teen Center recently purchased 2 more Nintendo Wii systems, allowing for more playing capacity, and more fun!

So come join in the fun, players of all abilities are welcome!

HYPE Business Summer Camp a Success!

This summer is our first in offering free summer camps for teens at the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center.

The Intro to Business Development camp taught our teens how to plan a business, from what product to develop, through how to obtain financing to make their product a reality.

Mr. Selemon Asfaw, guest instructor for the camp, provided excellent leadership for the participants, giving insight to the business world. A highlight of the camp was a field trip to Global Hue, the largest minority owned advertisement agency in the United States. While at Global Hue, the teens partnered with employees of the company, who helped them refine their strategies and PowerPoint presentations.

The camp finale was a presentation to guest judges, and a large audience, to share the hard work they put in during the 2 weeks of the camp. Audience members gave excellent reviews of the teens and their hard work.

H.Y.P.E. Stars Talent Show

Join us for our 1st Annual HYPE Stars Talent Show. We are hoping to have celebrity judges to critique our teen talent. Stars will be singing, dancing, joking and performing their unique contributions. This sure to be an event you do not want to miss! Families and friends are welcome to come and support but once we get the party started at 8 - its teens only.

New Detroit teen center is worth the H.Y.P.E.

Check out the article written about us in the Detroit News!

New Detroit teen center is worth the H.Y.P.E.

Summer Camps

The Summer Tech Camps are well underway. We've started the first week, "Intro to Robotics" and we have learned and seen alot. We started with a brief introduction of the world of Robotics, how they are used, and career possibilities. Next, we got hands-on experience with creating our own miniature robots using lego mechanics. We will also see how to program using software. This camp has been very informational and fun-and its all free! Check out the schedule for our next summer camp at dplhype.org. Photo by Pete Baugh

Metamorphosis @ Your Library!

Make sure to stop in to pick up your Summer Reading Program packet. You earn prizes by reading and attending programs. We're giving away a incentive gift card every week in addition to other cool prizes. Our first H.Y.P.E. Night was quite a success! We had so much fun. The next one will be July 25th. Make sure to call and pre-register at 313-833-4791. Also, we will be having H.Y.P.E. Talent Night from 5:30-7:30 that evening too. If you're interested, stop in Tuesday evening at 6:00 for auditions.

H.Y.P.E. Night this Friday!

Our first monthly H.Y.P.E. Night is this Friday (6/20/08)!

H.Y.P.E. Night is a teen dance party at the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center running from 8-11pm.

Pre-Registration is required, please call 833-4791 to reserve your spot.

Refreshments will be served, so come out and have a good time at H.Y.P.E. Night!

Video Game Tournament this Friday!

Hey everyone! We will be having a Game Wars video game competition on Friday (6/13/08) from 5-7pm. Games for the competition will be Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Mario Kart for the Nintendo Wii.

You might have noticed it will be Friday the 13th the day of the event, so make sure to bring lots of good luck.

Food and Prizes will be provided, so come down the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center to test your gaming skills and make new friends!

Registration is the day of the event, and doesn't cost anything, just get there a little before 5pm.

Players will be able to sign up for both competitions.

Early rounds in each tournament will be a "Round Robin" style, so every player is guaranteed to play in at least two matches for a chance to advance.

Hope to see you there!

Homework Help Saturday Afternoons

H.Y.P.E. launches homework help sessions every Saturday afternoon from 2:00-4:00p.m. Come get (or give) help with school assignments.

H.Y.P.E. card required for admission.

Game Wars Video Game Competition

H.Y.P.E. will host its next Game Wars competition Saturday, June 7, 2:00-4:00p.m.

You can compete for prizes during our monthly Game Wars competitions, the second Friday of each month.

H.Y.P.E. card required for admission.

H.Y.P.E. Teen Advisory Board meeting

Come to the Explorers’ Room at 4:00 on Thursday, June 5, to have your voice heard on teen programs and activities at the main branch of DPL.

The Teen Advisory Board meets the first Thursday of each month. If you can’t join us this Thursday, please come join us in the future.

Free Software Series

The H.Y.P.E. Center kicks off our Free Software Series of classes on Tuesday, June 3, with an introduction to Open Office, a free productivity software package that includes word processing, spreadsheet, database, and presentation programs. Class runs from 4:00-5:30p.m. Everyone who takes the class can get a free copy of Open Office software to take home.

H.Y.P.E. card required for admission.

Teen Readers' Theater, Tuesday, June 3

Join the talented teens of DPL’s Teen Readers’ Theater for their performance of the original play “Who,” by Toynetta Daniels and Rhiannon Grissom.

These pictures are from earlier Teen Readers’ Theater performances.

H.Y.P.E. Opens!!!

After a great week of family activities, the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center at the main library opened on May 15. Here are some scenes from the ribbon-cutting:

Celebrations continued with a fashion show and dance party on Friday, featuring local designers and Naima, 2005 winner of “America’s Next Top Model.” Naima stayed on for photographs and autographs after the show.




















Saturday featured a festival with vendors and performers, including live broadcasts by WJLB.













H.Y.P.E.’s first Game Wars video game tournament started at 1:00 on Saturday.










For more information about H.Y.P.E. and other teen activities, go to www.dplhype.org. (You can also reach the blog from there.)

Librarian Introduction

I am so happy to be working with the Teens at DPL. I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Oneka Wilson, the teens like calling me Ms.O. I have been at Detroit Public Library for about 3 years now. I've always enjoyed reading and libraries. I grew up in Detroit and graduated from Oak Park High with the library right across the street. I have many fond memories as a teen at the library. I was always the teen being "shushed" by the librarian. Eventually, I studied English at Purdue and decided to get my Masters degree in Library Science at Wayne State University. I'm looking forward to getting to know you. Please stop in and introduce yourself at the H.Y.P.E. Teen Center. We need some great video game players for our Game Wars competitions. We will also have lots of sessions to equip you for excellence like our College Fair Forum and Debate Programs. Please leave comments about what you would like to see at H.Y.P.E. and join our Teen Advisory Board that meets the first Thursday every month at 4 pm. See you soon!

Ms. O

Teen Advisory Board Inspects H.Y.P.E.

The Detroit Public Library H.Y.P.E. Teen Center (helping young people excel) will open May 12-17, 2008. The members of the Teen Advisory Board got a chance to test drive the center after the May meeting.

Miss O showed the room and explained the equipment and services. Teens only! Access to the room will be by special Teen library card.





Steve started up the computers, games, and video.





The Advisory Board members tested everything.

















The Teen Advisory Board meets the first Thursday of each month at 4:00 in the Explorers’ Room. New members are always welcome.

For more information about the H.Y.P.E. opening, go to www.detroitpubliclibrary.org/events/HYPE.htm

Farewell to Miss Rori

Miss Rori is going away! Not far—she’ll be assistant manager of the Children’s Department. And she promises to keep an eye on us and the Teen Center.



We had a party for her at the April Teen Advisory Board meeting. Here are some pictures of our (sad) celebration.