Attending the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival,

what are the chances that our school, and our students would get noticed in not just one, but TWO different sessions, and then a third later on?! What were the chances they’d talk to Justin Sotomayor?

Turns out pretty darn good. From Justice Sotomayor THREE times back and forth with our students (Alaina and Jenny) to even another session later and WHS recognized again! I opened up the streamed sessions today, Alaina and Genny willingly took over my account, and they were amazing representatives for Woodbridge High School’s Walter P.J. Gilefski Library Media Center! I was able to represent WHS once in an author session, and then these young ladies turned around and had conversations with Justice Sotomayor – and made a name for themselves as well as our high school!

Lesson? Certified Library Media Specialists impact students lives in MANY ways. They learn from students and students guide opportunities when given a chance. Librarians certification is a stand out for students. Schools without certified librarians are often running on minimal potential. Excitement of students being exposed to opportunities in school libraries is contagious. Does your school value and make room for a certified librarian and a “third space” for youth? If not, let’s start asking more questions and opening more doors for our students to allow this to occur.

Exciting Exciting day – and I knew we hit the jackpot when our two students ran around screaming from their excitement. This is high School, this is an our library, this is what is possible.

Priceless.

Alaina and Genny started small and the momentum kept building – check out the recordings from today’s Latinx Festival:

Check out the amazing conversation (42:57 and 51:31 in the recording!). Justice Sotomayor told us, “Don’t Give Up”- No accomplishment ever happens without failures along the way.” Then going on to encouraging us to build our friends up when they are trying to meet their goals. Justice Sotomayor was amazing and inspiring for us today and what we need to do for our friends.

Alaina and Genny were glued to the conversation. 🙂 It was my name on the account, but it was ALL these two ladies and their questions. SO PROUD of them!

LOVED Rafael Gomez’s advice to focus on the small pile of successes versus the large pile of failures. 🙂

Then again, we were recognized again in another session!

Making a “Bridge” from Woodbridge to Mexico! 51:58 at this session – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1DXScaphTY

I kept thinking about this lesson, what happens when school do not take initiatives to allow their libraries or librarians to take opportunities to connects aspects of the whole school together? The library plays as important a role as the history department, the band, the art department, the English department and all departments, and without a library as a hub, to hep connect everyone, there is so much loss of opportunity.

We could have every well not participated in today’s Latinx Festival – and look what Alaina and Genny would have missed. Opportunities are missing in our schools without certified librarians and the opportunities that CAN happen are just – beyond words when you see youth get so excited and tap into some amazing opportunities. Today was definitely that still has me reeling- way to go Alaina and Genny!