The library hosted a “Wicked” social for students during lunch on Friday, Nov.21 to celebrate the release of the sequel, “Wicked for Good.”. The event included numerous activities, such as bracelet making, pin-the-heart on the tin man, and a spread of “Wicked” themed foods. The soundtrack of the movie franchise played in the background of the festivities.
Library teacher’s assistant (TA) Yvonne Nguyen organized the event, librarian Mia Gittlen said. The library was decorated with a display dedicated to the franchise, with copies of the novel set up in front of the library’s monthly “this or that,” which featured options for Glinda or Elphaba, she added.
“I started a conversation about her (Nguyen’s) water bottle, which is ‘Wicked’ themed, and we were thinking about all we could do in the library,” Gittlen said. “She organized the front display, the ‘Wicked’ display, and this whole social event.”
The library made sure to plan activities that were relaxing and could be done while enjoying the various snacks, which were labeled with “Wicked” puns, Nguyen said. The event was meant to be a fun lunchtime activity for students to bring their friends along to just before break, she added.
“I hope this event made people more excited to watch the movie,” Nguyen said. “One of my friends was saying how she had never watched ‘Wicked’ before. She came to this event, and she was like, ‘Wait, should I actually watch it?’”
Seeing people whom she didn’t know liked ‘Wicked’ attend was cool, especially because of the amount of effort put into the event, Nguyen said. After fighting the urge to sing along with the soundtrack playing in the background, she joined in when attendees sang along to the “Wicked” songs, she added.
“I do believe events like these help people to come to the library, especially if they are about something that’s recent,” Nguyen said. “I’m kind of up to date with what people are attracted to, so I used ‘Wicked’ as something that will encourage people to come in.”
It is important not to be afraid of expressing your passions, Nguyen said. It is important to express those passions, whether in reading or writing, or just appreciating art, she added.
“I’m kind of an introvert, so people showing up made me kind of nervous,” Nguyen said. “But it’s fun when you see people appreciating how much you love the things that you love.”
College and career technician Alcina Rosas helped Gittlen and Nguyen with preparation for the event, Rosas said. They all did a good job of decorating and making the event fun for attendees, she added.
“I thought it was a really good turnout,” Rosas said. “It’s ‘Wicked,’ I’ve seen the play, and I can understand why people love it so much. I think it really brought a lot of students in compared to other events.”
