Pieces click and snap into place as groups of students and staff huddle over library tables. The buzz of concentration in the room is quiet, only broken by friendly chatting, occasional smack talk, and the pop of puzzle pieces fitting together. Around the library, teams work to complete their chosen puzzles, all with the same goal: to finish first and win this month’s competition.

The Library media center brought back its monthly Puzzle Showdowns on Oct. 8 after school from 2:30 to 3 p.m. These friendly competitions, first organized last year by school librarians, like Michelle Wooding, will continue again throughout this year.

“We think activities like [the Puzzle Showdown] are fun, relaxing ways to just get together every month,” Wooding said. “It’s also really fun for students to get to know and interact with their teachers outside of the classroom and see that we’re humans, not robots.”

Digital Learning Specialist Melissa Brayall oversaw and even competed in this competition a few times last year.  She describes this experience as “fun” and “competitive.”

The competition includes 300 piece puzzles from the library, which teams must work together to fully complete. The goal? Be the first group to collectively finish the puzzle and beat opposing teams.

 “We usually lay out about six to 10 different [puzzles], and we let the teams choose which ones they want to do, and then we each pick a table and we have a timer,” Wooding said. “We’ll say ‘ready, set, go.’ We start the timer and then everyone lays everything out and usually there’s different people on the team with different roles.”

On average, the competition lasts for around 30 minutes, the record being 22 minutes from last year’s teacher team, according to Brayall. For student teams who are quick enough, there is a reward. 

“We usually have prizes: a Dunkin’s gift card or various others usually,” Wooding said. “We don’t give prizes if teacher teams win, [but] if students win, we’ll give them the prizes. If teachers win, we’re just like ‘good for you.’”

These gifts are motivating factors to pique student interest and draw them in for a visit. Although there are cash prizes involved, many participants also find enjoyment in the competition itself. 

“We did have a few students who have come in earlier this year and asked when we’re doing [the showdown],” Brayall said. “They’re excited for it, so that’s kind of cool.”

While some students hear about the event beforehand, many others are simply in the library at the right time. There is “always a mix of new people from different grades” who attend this monthly event, according to Wooding. 

“Sometimes we’ll recruit people that come after school in the library who are just here anyway, and we’re like, ‘hey, come do this puzzle thing,” Brayall said.

As for Sophomore Cameron D’Anna, he found himself participating in the most recent showdown while waiting before his soccer practice after school.

“I just needed something to waste time,” D’Anna said. “I honestly never really do puzzles on my own.” 

No matter what brought contestants to the competition, the Puzzle Showdown is just “one of the fun little activities” that increases student engagement and community in the library, Wooding said. 

When considering the students who want to participate in similar activities but don’t have afterschool availability, the librarians have discussed holding smaller showdowns or crafting opportunities during the day.

“We’re considering this year maybe putting in some [similar activities] during lunch periods, too, to build up excitement for and to get some people to join the [puzzle showdowns] after school, because a lot of kids have clubs or sports or have to take the bus home,” Brayall said.

Overall, the Puzzle Showdown attracts those who enjoy killing a couple of minutes to work on a collaborative project. As the library holds these competitions every month, they aim to provide an activity that caters to students’ interests. 

“It’s a nonacademic atmosphere where you can just hang out, be a little competitive, and be together in a fun way,” Wooding said. “You just never know what kids will be into.”