Category: School Libraries

The Hilliard Weaver Middle School‘s Media Center is vibrant partner within the school and community.  Located in the northwest corner of Central Ohio, Hilliard Weaver Middle School serves approximately 880 seventh and eighth graders.

The media center’s schedule is flexible, no two days are the same.  On the day we toured, we witnessed a flurry of independent academic focus groups working on various projects and studying.  The library has students three periods a day, and teachers also bring their student groups.  Twenty computer stations are spread throughout the space, including a computer lab, and separate rooms for fiction (Cat Lounge), a makerspace (Cat Lab), and teacher’s workroom enhance the library.  Student peer volunteers host an awesome Genius Bar to assist fellow students with their district-issued iPads.

The library (Cat Zone) was overhauled three years ago. New furniture was installed, and upcycled bookshelves created a more open environment. Much of the eliminated reference section is now accessed digitally through the media center’s website. Throughout the library, one can see the imprint of students. In collaboration with Weaver’s art teachers, the media center celebrates the work of its middle school students.

My primary goal is to create a welcoming environment for everyone. – Dr. Christina Dorr

Dr. Christina Dorr, Ph.D. is an experienced professional whose career spans over 25 years within the Hilliard City Schools.  For the past three years, she has helped Weaver Middle School to reach its academic goals through programs and partnerships.  In addition to her work within the school, Dr. Dorr is an instructor at Kent State University’s School of Library & Information Science, and she has served on several American Library Association book award committees, including the committee for the prestigious Coretta Scott King Book Awards.

Teen Tech Week, Books & Brownies, regional competitions like Battle of the Books, community partnerships to bring celebrated authors like Jason Reynolds, collaboration with Columbus Metropolitan Library Hilliard Branch, supporting lunch programming like Weaver’s Got Talent, hosting after school clubs like Yearbook, and so much more…The Hilliard Weaver Middle School Media Center, Dr. Dorr and the center’s volunteers have created a rich environment for exploration, discovery and learning for students, families and the community.

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Find something you love, and you’ll never work a day – Shannon Hemmelgarn

Upon entering Upper Arlington’s Windermere Elementary Library and Media Center, we were immediately greeted with a symphony of young, excited voices and a flurry of activity.  It was the library’s Maker Day, and students throughout the entire library were focused on designing, creating and solving.

Maker Day occurs every week, and the students love it.  Children partner with peers, work independently and collaborate with Librarian Shannon Hemmelgarn.  During our visit, we witnessed the creation of a lightweight paper structure that could hold a hardcover book, the colorful build of a potential future home and the deliberate process of a MakerBot manufacturing Lego bricks.  A plethora of materials with a mix of high and low tech are easily within reach of all students, making creativity fun and infectious.  “We work to develop the whole child,” Shannon explained.  By doing so, she and Windermere Elementary foster critical and design thinking in a welcoming environment.

Literacy and research are the bedrock of the library.  Shannon, Media Clerk Edie Hartmus and library volunteer staff partner with teachers to create customized resources, supporting lesson plans and exceptional educational outcomes.  The collection of 14,000 books is augmented by author visits.  Caldecott Medal recipient Paul Zelinksy visited the school system thanks in partnership to the Upper Arlington Schools PTO and the Upper Arlington Education Foundation.  And the school is excited to welcome children’s lit-inspired musician Emily Arrow.  Emily will be performing her songs with Windermere’s ukulele orchestra, which Shannon is a part of.  Both visits demonstrate how art, music and literature co-exist and come alive at Windermere.

Partnerships play an important role with Windermere’s library.  Upper Arlington Public Library’s Sue Emrick actively collaborates with Shannon to create an informative newsletter, and the public library sends representatives to Windermere for summer reading and e-book initiatives.  Shannon also partners with Windermere’s couselor on digital citizenship safety, other librarians in the district and Windermere’s administration to shape resource policies, like the district’s 1:1 laptop and tablet program.

Shannon Hemmelgarn believes in the power of strong relationships.  After joining Windermere in 2015 from a successful, 13-year teaching tenure at New Albany-Plain Local Schools, she quickly built rapport among peers and students by being a trusted partner and promoting all resources as open and flexible.  She is the only teacher at the school who interacts with every one of the over 400 students every week, and she takes great pride in knowing each student.  Shannon is excited to further support Windermere’s curriculum, expand the library’s makerspace, enhance the collection’s diversity and fulfill her commitment to the community.

The Windermere Elementary Media Center is a phenomenon resource and a wonderful example of a fun, energizing and open environment.

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Students in Courtney Johnson’s sophomore English class at Fort Arts and Academic High School are given an amazing opportunity to become lifelong literature lovers.  Through Courtney’s tireless work, her students are highly educated, prepared for leadership and service and empowered for success as citizens in a global community.

Courtney, a librarian, teacher and advocate for education was the recipient of a competitive $5,000 grant from the Book Love Foundation, empowering her to transform her classroom into a library.  Her bookshelves offer an impressive array of contemporary and classic literature.  

Students spend time reading at the beginning of every class.  She partners with students one-on-one to discuss what they are reading and helps them select books that will ignite their interests.  Courtney shared she is fortunate to have certain level of freedom at Fort Hayes, giving her the opportunity to create a non-traditional model for teaching English where students select their own literature.  Students read short pieces as a group to learn how to analyze and think critically.  Then they journal, collect new vocabulary words and capture thoughts to share from books they read.  Courtney estimates her students read between 20 and 40 books each year.

Courtney strives to maintain a collection of items that will appeal to each student.  She constantly reads about new books, consulting other teachers, Good Reads, Facebook, book lists and students.  Her goal is to “know the kid, know the book and make the match.”  She particularly strives to represent diversity in literature and sees a strong need for more diversity.

Courtney’s library is organized by subject, including graphic novels (a great gateway for reluctant readers), “quick picks” (easier books), peer student recommendations, fiction, sci-fi, LGBQ and sports.

This month, Courtney embarks on her third year of teaching with a classroom library.  She is excited to introduce new students to the joy of reading.  She also plans to apply for another Book Love Foundation grant for the whole school.  Her vision is for each classroom to have its own library.  When students are immersed in books, it’s hard for them not to embrace reading.