Teen Programs
Teen Open Mic Afternoon
Wednesday, 04/01, 2-4pm, Auditorium: Showing off your poetry/singing skills. Registration is not required!
Teen Black Out Poetry Night
Monday, 04/20, 5:30-7:30pm, Teen Room: This program is where poets can create a new poem from an existing text by blacking out or erasing certain words. Registration is not required!
Teen Scavenger Hunts: All Day Events
Tuesdays, 04/21, All day events, Entire Library:
03/31: Book Face Photo Scavenger Hunt: Book Face hold a book cover featuring a person’s face (or other body part) in front of their own, creating a visual illusion that merges the book cover with their body. The library will have a list of books to find within the library.
04/21: Mustache Selfie Scavenger: Similar to Book Face but this time teens will take a selfie with the book. Each teen will be given a fake mustache to wear for their selfies with the book. The library provides list of books that have mustache on the cover.
Registration is not required!
Spill the “T”
Wednesday, 04/22, 1 – 4pm, Teen Room: Time for conversation, have connection, and more. Snacks, crafts, and board games will be provided. Registration is not required!
Teen Outreach Community Service
Wednesday, 05/13, 1-4 Teen Room:
01/16: Writing Letters to Local Elected Government Officials. “What they would like to see happen in their community?”
03/30: Writing Letters of Encouragement to Nursing Homes/Kids in the Hospital.
05/13: Write a review on a book, movie, and/or video game for the social media.
Registration is not required!
Anime Club
Monday, 05/18, 6-7pm, Teen Room: An anime club is a group that meets to discuss, watch, and promote anime. These clubs foster social connections and provide opportunities for fans to engage with Japanese animation and culture through activities like watching marathons, playing games, discussing shows, and creating themed crafts. Registration is not required!
Teen June Writing Contest: Opinion Piece
Through June (06/01-06/30): “What do you think about the Pontiac Library? What do you like about the library? What do you not like about the library? And where does the library need to improve?”
For ages 12 to 18 years old or for grades 6th to 12th. The Opinion Piece should be between 500-1,000 words (or 1 to 2 pages). Winners will win a gift card to MRJ,,, one for Middle School students and one for High School Students.
Registration is not required!
Teen Study Session
Tuesday 06/09, 1-4pm, Teen Room: Quiet place for teens to study for exams. Snacks and water will be provided. Some but limited school supplies will be provided. Registration is not required!
Teen Drop In Art
Mondays, 06/15-08/17, 5-6pm, Teen room: This program is for flexibility, allowing 12- to 18-year-olds to join in at any point during the hour without registration. It prioritizes creativity over rigid instruction. We meet every week and the art project changes as well.
6/15 Sharpie Art
6/22 Button Making
6/29 Door Hangers
7/6 Tie Dye
7/13 Perler Beads
7/20 Design Your Own Flag
7/27 Design You Own Board Game
8/3 Design your own Coat of Arms
8/10 Design a Book Mark
8/17 Design a Book Cover
Registration is not required!
Teen Board Game Afternoon
Tuesdays, 06/16-08/18 (except from 07/14), 2-3pm, Teen Room: A Comprehensive teen board game program should balance social interaction with skill-building in strategy, collaboration, and problem-solving. Board Games will change every week but the teens will have several options. Each week the games will be a mix of board games and card games.
Registration is not required!
Teen Taste Test
Wednesdays, 06/17, 07/01, 07/15, 07/29, 08/12, 4:30-5:30pm, Teen Room: An interactive, engaging activity to sample, evaluate, and rank various foods. The Teens will base their evaluation on taste, texture, and smell. The food tasting choices will change every meeting. Water will be provided.
Registration is not required!
Teen Juneteenth Bingo
Thursday, 06/18, 4:30-5:30pm, Teen Room: Celebrate Juneteenth with a fun Bingo Game designed to celebrate African American Freedom and Culture. The bingo cards will feature facts about Black History, symbols of freedom, cultural traditions and black-owned businesses.
Registration is not required!
Teen July Writing Contest: Travel Guide for the City of Pontiac
Through July (07/01-07/31): Write a Travel Guide for the City of Pontiac, which focuses on providing an authentic, visual first narrative that emphasizes “off-the-beaten-path” experiences and practical, budget-friendly “hacks.”
Move beyond traditional landmarks to focus on interactive experiences, aesthetic locations and social hangouts. Categorization with area that the Teens want to show of, meaning: parks, shops, restaurants, and so on. Teens can highlight the sounds and smells of the city as well.
Pictures are welcome.
Travel Guide should be no longer than 2-3 pages with pictures.
Winners will win a gift card to MRJ one for Middle School Students and one for High School Students.
Registration is not required!
Teen Paper Airplane
Thursday, 07/02, 4:30-5:30pm, Teen Room: This is a hands-on STEM Workshop where participants can engineer, build, and test paper gilders to learn about aerodynamics, physics, and flight principles. Activities include designing for distance, accuracy, or payload capacity, often featuring competitions, interactive testing and troubleshooting.
Registration is not required!
Teen Business Cards
Friday, 07/03, 4:30-5:30pm, Teen Room: This program is about designing and personalizing one’s own business cards. Then asking Teens to create a monk company with a business plan.
Registration is not required!
Teen Music Jeopardy
Saturday, 07/11, 2-3pm, Teen Room: A trivia game modeled after the television show, featuring categories based on artists, genres, and song titles, where players receive clues and respond with questions.
Registration is not required!
Teen Caption This
Thursday 07/23, 4:30-5:30pm, Teen Room: Clip interesting or amusing photographs from magazines. The teens’ job is to write new captions for the now caption-less image.
Registration is not required!
Teen August Writing Contests: “A Day in the Life…”
Through August (0/01-08/31): Write a story about a day in your life or a fiction character. Use snapshots, not a minute by minute. Also use your senses to describe what is going on. This piece should be 500 to 1,000 words (1 to 2 pages long).
Winners will win a gift card to MRJ one for Middle School Students and one for High School Students.
Registration is not required!
Teen Dictionary Fake Out
Thursday, 08/06, 4-5pm, Teen Room: For multiple players – using a dictionary each player finds a word that looks strange and comes up with a definition for the word. Then, all the players will talk about the word and their own definition before revealing the true definition.
Registration is not required!
Teen Nerf Wars
Saturday, 08/08, 2-3pm, Auditorium: Two teams will be created to fight. Nerf blasters will be provided.
Registration is not required!
Teen Balloon Volleyball
Friday, 08/14, 2-3pm, Auditorium: Indoor low-impact volleyball game but with the use of a balloon. The teams try to keep the balloon off the ground.
Registration is not required!
“I Read This Book” Book Club
Mondays, 04/06, 05/04, 5:30-6:30pm, Teen Room: Want to talk about books with other teens but do not want to commit to a traditional book club book. This book club is a show and tell with part social hour. Bring in the book you just read to talk about. Registration is not required!
Scrabble Club
Mondays, 04/13, 05/11, 6-7pm, Teen Room: Drop-In Club where teens can play and improve their vocabulary and strategy. It is also a place to socialize with peers in a supportive environment. Registration is not required!
Silent Book Club
Monday, 04/27, 5:30-7pm, Teen Room: This is a relaxed gathering where teens can read their own books silently together. No required reading or pressure to discuss. The teens can talk about the books they are reading at the end of the hour if they like. Registration is not required!
Anime Club
Saturdays, 06/27, 07/25, 08/22, 2-3pm, Teen Room: A group that meets up to discuss, watch, and promote anime. This club will foster social connections and provide opportunities for fans to engage with Japanese animation and culture through activities by watching, playing games, discussing shows, and creating themed crafts.
Registration is not required!