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. 🙂
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!
The start of the Library of Congress 2023 Book Festival featured the most welcome appearance of Carla Hayden – who everytime I see, I think of this amazing event thanks to her devotion of the largest Book Festival in the country. This event kicked of Friday night with some heart-stopping statistics presented by co-chair David Rubenstein:
44% of Americans did not use a single book last year
The U.S. is 150th in the world, in literacy.
130 million individuals cannot read a book to their children.
21% of all adults are functional illiterate, not able to read past the 4th grade level.
85% individuals in juvenile delinquency are functional illiterate.
2/3 of those in prison are functional illiterate.
Mr. Rubenstein noted that the Library of Congress is not called the “National Tweeting Festival”, for a reason, this gives a chance, in being free, to expose people to literacy, a book, an author to inspire them to want to go back and read a book to their children. The torch of literacy to be passed is a worthy one and is often a role of the school librarian that many fail to recognize, in a time now where book bans and challenges take more importance that a certified librarian being present and able to facilitate literacy.
It was noteworthy that Laura Bush, in lieu of the 250th anniversary of the United States, asked if there was a Book Festival in Washington D.C., as she knew of hers in her home state of Texas. (Ironically, I was a recipient of the Barbara Bush initiative to recruit more librarians, and the rest is history!) At the time there was not, and it was interesting that the next year there WAS one, the first being right on the mall – and the humor here came from the grass. Over time, the National Park Service were concerned that the grass was not growing due to the #’s of people attending the festival, not giving the grass a chance to go, so being asked to leave turned out to be a blessing, as the Book Festival ended at the Conference Center and thanks to Carla Hayden – the Book Festival is an amazing event.
Out of the amazing authors made up of Angeline Boulley, David Grann,R.K. Russell, Beverly Gage, and Luis Alberto Urrea, one story stood out the most for this moment in time, as sometimes some stories, characters do, and that for me this night was Angeline Boulley, author of the Firestarter’s Daughter. Coming off an amazing Eastern shore discovery of Indigenous voices, the amazing indigenous voice Boulley started- has spread. She is published in 22 other countries, and said a very profound statement, she writes to represent indigenous voices, and edits to protect her culture. Stating that it is so vital to have stories for us (indigenous voices), not just by indigenous voices.
It still amazes me how many events , topics, themes appear within close proximity of each other, that often seems too coincidental. It is up to us to make the connections of those somewhat separate, but connected topics and synthesize meaning from them. It is even more important to have the ability to recognize that school librarians have the ability to connect somewhat unrelated topics, and show how they indeed, are related and connected to each other. We need more to realize this!
Following the previous post, of the first day of the Indigenous Culture and Training, the onsite visit to Chicone Village, known as Handsell, in Vienna, MD was literally a breath of fresh air.
Touring the Village site, with the 17th Century Native Living Historian Drew Shuptar-rayvis is something that by NOT being there can NOT be replicated. Adding to the list of what are local heritage sites I was largely unaware of, the resources of oral stories and education certainly are tied to place.
When I first graduated from high school, I knew the right location to attend at a college would just be the way the location, that particular college would reach out to me and call to me, and it did. We had this discussion about how people view land, a sense of home, and how certain locations can do the same thing. Chicone and Handsell, the very same. The fields, the history that many are unaware of, the heritage of Indigenous presence is more than any history books have attempted to address and being there in the moment was something that can truly only happen when you are there.
I think Handsell and Chicone, well I KNOW it is more than meets the eye, we had the privilege of hearing accounts based on extensive research, information that normally can only be obtained and seen in a museum and often doctored and lying outside the borders of reality. Not so on this day. If anything, solidifying the fact that there is a history, and there are stories that are unknown and have gone unnoticed is even more reason to be curious.
In 1665, Thomas Taylor was granted 700 acres of Land called “Handsell” along the Nanticoke River in the location of Chicone Indian town. In 1704 this land was made part of an Indian reservation by an Act of the Maryland Assembly. In 1769 the properties were returned to the ownership of the English families who had possessed the land grants.
Handsell is one of the last remaining 18th c. brick dwelling houses in Dorchester Co. Originally a grand, two story Georgian home, a major event, possibly a fire at Handsell gutted much of the interior and weakened the rear exterior wall, causing a partial collapse of the structure.
After a fire (cause undetermined), Handsell was rebuilt to the one and one-half story structure we see today. The interior woodwork is all original to the period of the rebuild in 1837 by John Shehee, a local farmer.
This brick dwelling house exhibits a unique façade with a protruding pavilion and Flemish bond brickwork, indicating the builder’s knowledge of contemporary design trends.
Not only from the cultural artifacts that Drew brought, but experiencing the cool feel of the lean to “work shelter” and feeling the coolness in the dead heat of the day outside, alot of realizations are made. This is a location that lies outside of the traditional museum experience, one that pulls at you to dig deeper and learn more about things that have been untold and that carry more meaning. This certainly was a good start to what we were discovering about the lands we walk on the Eastern Shore.
Tuesday, along with completing an amazing 6 week run of Upward Bound Workstudy student started the first Maryland Indigenous workshop that I was graciously accepted into.
As stated by Maria A. Day, Senior Director of Special Collections, Conservation, & Library ServicesCo-Director, Indigenous Peoples’ Program Maryland State Archives,
“This was possible due to the partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education and Maryland State Arts Council, but the sole sponsorship is through the Archives, where Drew, Autumn, Megan and I work. The generous grant that has made this work possible comes from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.”
Also, thank you Lenny Truitt for presenting this to me – it was an exciting endeavor to apply for, yet, even moreso a stirring eye opener.
Summer has not really, well, been summer, I have been in full throttle since the week following the end of high school and there is much I am falling behind on I wish I had more time to work on, the pressure of a hamster wheel on turbo is there BUT
I also take time to reflect on these actions and the results on what comes out of these involvements, are they fruitless or energy spent that is just “busy work.”
Just the opposite.
In the next few weeks you will see over 40+ projects students took on over a 6 week period, connecting to environmental organizations all over the state, and in Maryland – I believe there are ties to the Indigenous workshop and workstudy students from Upward Bound. Keep abreast of the 40+ projects students enrolled in as we literally roll out these one by one over the next few weeks- https://harrybrake.com/nanticoke-river-watershed-conservancy-project-page/
Tying the environment to individuals that normally do not LIKE the outdoors was a challenge and YET, they did some amazing things. The Indigenous workshop I am involved in now has helped tie things together even more.
Without giving much away, there is some that needs to be more present in our communities. From Day one, I have found the topics of Indigenous representation an underserved one. From writing a graduate thesis on the topic:
and through all this, I am amazed at the information I am learning, which means to me, learning is not just about how many degrees you obtain, how much PD you grab into, but how you internalize information that has been all around you and not realizing the value and impact cultures and information can have on your life every singe day. Learning new information can be absolutely invigorating, despite the most grueling hours out in per week, if it connects deep inside you. This is what the Maryland Indigenous workshop has provided from the Edward H Nabb Research Institute.
Without giving too much information away from the first day, it is necessary to let you know how important this information is. I will be sharing more as I experience the richness of this workshop.
Written in February of 2022, this grant has set up a vehicle with the State Art’s Council, and tons of amazing Indigenous groups, interpreters, and experts to add to the Maryland state curriculum. Models of possible lessons that can be implemented in classes that bring content alive are worked through by all the attendees, and the resources, WOW, the resources – from the Mayis database, to questioning the credibility of lessons being taught that align with reality of the country ( hot topics of today in education), to meeting with Renee Gokey, part of the National Museum of American Indian Museum, to the NK360 treasure of information, to being lucky enough to have Drew Shuptar-Ravis with us every day as an Algonkian living historian, there is so much that has been around me and. I have not noticed with full eyes.
The first day traveling to the Chicone Village, a small amazing look at how project based learning can tie us closer to our immediate community. There. is so much we do not take advantage of in learning about our community, and this only heightens that fact.
Before my eyes, in emails from the University of Delaware, I had missed the land acknowledgement act, which is. a topic of this series of programs currently we are in as well – here is an example:
“**The University of Delaware, a land grant institution, is located on land that was and continues to be vital to the web of life of the Nanticoke and Lenni-Lenape people. We express gratitude and honor the people who have inhabited, cultivated, and nourished this land for thousands of years, even after their attempted forced removal during the colonial era and early federal period. The University of Delaware also financially benefitted from the expropriation of Indigenous territories in the region colonially known as Montana. View the full Living Land Acknowledgement.**.
I do remember this being. a key piece of the Humanities Conference in LA, and this always stuck with me- their land acknowledgement is:
The point is, there is so much information that is enlightening, new, and able. to connect youth, future librarians, historians, Humanities, Indigenous groups, and community together, Land Acknowledgements are ONE small section of an example to show this; despite sometimes feeling as we have 100 projects happening in our lives, latching on to the chances to improve the communities around us is not a cyclical hamster wheel – but taking education and information that surrounds us and involving more members. of our community, is an asset to all. of us.
Being on. schedule that has been…challenging the last few weeks has been just that at times, but the possibilities that involve the past, present, and future are eve\n more exciting
(“Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow”, translated from the Algonquin language) is the perfect way to state how all. is connected and all is valuable, and in the last few weeks, the countless youth of Upward Bound, the opportunities to talk with indigenous experts in our own state and neighboring states, and finishing a way forward, as well as through the past and present to connect these valuable insights –
One pervading asset has come through and is emphasized, challenge the narrative when facts and details do not line up, just because an institution, museum, or organization exists does not mean the information, 100% of it, is accurate. It is up to us to be aware of the living experts resources, and know how to determine the histories of individuals that truly, factually, make up our country. This takes visits, interviews, time to contemplate and reflect and more – there is nothing wrong with questioning the narrative to find a deeper truth. A trait we need in times that allow any detail. to be considered truthful, but that always needs a healthy examination.
As a member of the Delaware Humanities, the Delaware Association of School Librarians, as a Librarian Media Specialist, Education and Volunteer Coordinator for the Nanticoke River Watershed Conservancy, and an Upward Bound instructor, what can I bring to those networks to strengthen the narrative for often underepresented individuals? More importantly, what can we do together to create some great networks that benefit our community? My guess, and an educated one, is alot!
It has been almost NINE months since the Humanities Conference in Los Angeles, can you believe it? And YET, there once again is a remnant and reminder of an amazing event that occurred reoccurring in a different form this summer in Delaware.
Let’s discuss the magic of utilizing the book, The Best We Could Do as a focus of our Upward Bound summer session in Georgetown, DE. The beginning pages were a conversation between author Thi Bui and author Viet Than Nguyen. Sound familiar? It should thanks to the Humanities Conference in Los Angeles!
The Capps Lecture below was a magical night of insight into conversations that would come up become, unbeknownst to myself and students almost a year LATER!
The fact that the author, Viet Thanh Nguyen had stated from that lecture he was “Made in America, (born in Vietnam)”, as he experience the status of being a refugee as a young child, held the audience in flux from his insights that night.
The same has occurred this summer as we dived into a life that many cannot imagine from our study of this book, as well as the parallels to being in the “margins” as indicated from the conversation in the beginning pages of this book, compared to the content of this lecture almost a year ago.
The backdrop that Nguyen gave us from this lecture, being the 90’s UCLA, experiencing Berkeley, USC (where he dropped out) and THEN!, then 20 years later writing
“Nguyen was a Vietnamese refugee who came to America when he was four. In his talk – the annual Capps Lecture at the NHC – he spoke of art’s unique power to promote understanding of cultures that readers may know nothing about. When he was younger, he often idealized the lives of people in far-off New York while wondering if anyone would ever want to hear the story of an immigrant who grew up in San Jose – not realizing he would one day have the power to share that story with millions of people.
-“What I ultimately learned was the importance of the story itself,” Nguyen said.
-“When I was a little boy in the San Jose Public Library, I never read about someone like me in those books.
The people who were writing these books probably never thought a Vietnamese refugee boy would read them.”
“Should they have thought about that?” Nguyen continued. “I don’t think so. When I write my books, I don’t think about whether this book or this story will need to be translated or interpreted for someone who has no relationship to me or the Vietnamese people. My obligation is to tell the story with absolute honesty, artistry and truth.
“The story will reach all kinds of people, and I take great inspiration from that,” Nguyen said.
“As much as we want the story to be about us, we also need stories that are not about us.”
The night before, November 10, 2022, in Los Angeles, we were treated to a all female Mariachi group on the rooftop and it was amazing. On the roof of the Bonaventure Hotel seeing the LA skyline and taking in this groups talent, magic. It took me back to Mexico that threw me into the stereotypes, realizations, experiences, and culture that only the Humanities can guide you through. We are experiencing the same this summer page by page, and everything ties together to transport us there.
Listening to NPR today, you might want to check out the podcast from Saturday’s weekend edition, by Miles Parks, titled, “A new picture book helps kids cope with grief.” I realized, this picture book called Cape, coincided with the very reason StuntBoy works so well, there are picture book, graphic novels, and yes, even anime that helps students cope with struggles of their own, parental conflicts, as well as dilemmas that impact their personalities, daily routines, and life in general. There are individuals that are not simply technology experts that help guide students to ways to find ointments for these issues. Sometimes in the form of books, a conversation, relating an experience, or a project that helps them redirect the frustrations they experience and find a safe place.
In a world where a majority of educational institutions look down on maintaining a certified librarian to implement these skills for the benefit if a student population, educating individuals on what exactly the role of a certified librarian is in a new age, and how they guide students towards having more confidence –
-certainly the expertise that certified librarians receive is not taken for granted by some, thanks goodness.
Maybe unintended consequences of Jason Reynold’s book, but from his conversation and his continuance to find ways to promote paths for youth to find their voice and confidence, he has paved the road for certified librarians to lead students as well. Now all we need is your voice to continue to ask for, insist, and help move our educational institutions towards making this a fact in every school. Especially for students as they navigate life with superpowers they did realize they contained.
All this from a graphic novel? Absolutely. Check it out and you will be rewarded with your own superpower of insight.
we finish the great experiences we had in talking with our WSD School Board members.
Right in graduation season, it is perfect to see some amazing experiences that have guided Woodbridge School Board President Steven McCarron in some of the same futures we see our graduates heading. School Board Month was January, but in sitting down with Woodbridge Alumni Steve McCarron, we learned so much!
Learning from so many experiences based on agriculture, trade education, and Delaware home town experiences, this interview felt like home in the first state. This is board member interview #5 and one not to disappoint on many levels. If you missed previous episodes you can check them out below:
Alumni spotlight for December AND School board member interview #1 –
Thursday, May 11, 2023 – I’ll be honest- I podcast, alot. But I had never heard of Travis McElroy, and that made this keynote speaker EVEN BETTER.
Mr. McElroy started talking about a show they (his brothers) had at The Warfield in San Francisco (NOT to be misnamed as The Garfield as he pointed out). The whole idea behind all their events is just dumb fun, and I loved every minute of the craziness he found himself into. I thought, Middle Schoolers would latch onto this forever and high school students would never let go.
He elaborated on how they as a group of performing brothers have had to adapt a podcast to tv shows, to graphic novels, to an animated series– all certainly out of the realm of where they thought there would be going when starting comedic podcasts. In just this far into the key note, I saw how amazing adaptable and flexible opened doors, I felt the same could occur with librarians leading new paths where did not know they could be taken.
When asked about his memories of librarians and librarians, Mr. McElroy had some good ones.
I do vaguely remember Mr. McElroy mentioning Star Wars, the father and Luke scene, and something to do with his father, but the exact details are a little fuzzy… 🙂
Travis went on talking about how amazed he was at the poetic way his daughter explained how the beast began to transform in Beauty and the Beast – and how it was a moment we all recognize what used to be children are astonishing in moments of their own.
It was interesting to hear his favorite book was a sci fi series – so much he ended up getting a second and third set because so many knew how much he liked this series! I cannot get the title correct of what that series was, so I am on a mission to find out what this series was – if you know, PLEASE share!
Also, the a first edition of a favorite Agatha Christie novel ranked in his favorites and he had been sucked in to reading geaphic novels and comics following the deaths of Ms. Marvel!
He made a hysterical point, that etiquette is really a guidebook for awkward people, and that etiquette should be brought back to be able to get out of things, lol. I can see this….
‘Til Death Do Us Blart – was discussed in the long series of things that often do not make a point, and something they ALWAYS had made, EVERY Thanksgiving, and something they vowed to do EVERY THANKSGIVING.
In talking about audiobooks, Mr. McElroy discussed that literacy did not just fall on books alone, audiobooks are reading too!
Skyline Chili- vs Cincinnati Chili! LOL let the feud begin- as Travis McElroy explained the difference between Skyline and Cincinnati Chili. “I try not to take it personally, but I do. An ugly baby is still someone’s kid.” that comment helps describe the hilarity of the topic that Travis McElroy brought up.
I loved the fact that Travis McElroy mentioned in their podcasts, they didn’t think they were right about topics, but that they just want people to feel that they want to do what they want!
One of the best parting pieces of advice he gave was this -Never stop learning, never be satisfied with thinking or saying, “This is the best person I’ll ever be”, and remember it is NEVER an excuse for trying to learn more or bettering yourself.
I truly loved the hysterical, young kid-like approach that Mr. McElroy exhibited, his energy was all over the place but solidified the idea of showing how so many types of media and expression can be united and turned into OTHER connections to even more types of literacy.
LOVED the raw energy Travis McElroy brought to this keynote!
I was asked to do some research and write an article showing one of many obstacles school librarians face in trying to provide literacy to their students.
I do hear from schools in our state that receive zero budget or have funds allotted to them taken away from the library and put into the rest of the school, showing the value placed on libraries and the value attached to school librarians in a given school. I followed a post asked to school librarians all over the U.S., and this is what I heard:
This goes Elementary librarians – what’s your budget like for next year?
Jill Our district is funding all of the school libraries this year to get us all at exemplary status. Our average age will be 2013 or better and around 15 books per student
Andrea We get $25 per student for books and supplies which is down from the past.
Trina For years we got only $2 per student, but now we get $10 per student.
Wow. How do you run a library with $0?
No idea! I won’t find out until the fall.
Rebekah Whatever I can make at 2 book fairs
Stephanie In the school I just left – probably less than $2000 and not book fair fundraiser. Looking for that new school so not sure yet for me. But any amount would be better than what I was given last year. Not to mention they tell you until you ask a jillion times.
Jodi Whatever my PTA gives me. $2000 at one school, $0 at the other
Lisa $0 for books or anything specific to the library. I did ask for 6 rolls of packing tape & index cards for next year and got those!
Kim I get absolutely nothing except for what I make through fundraising.
Erin Same as always $2,452.
April We typically get $20 per student but we were told it’s been cut. Not sure how deep the cuts are yet though!
Amanda The last few years has been $1000 cut from $5000. No idea about this coming year.
Christine I’m moving to a new campus and I believe the overall budget is $5,000.
Stephanie What I make a two book fairs and a budget based on enrollment to buy books.
Amanda Not sure about this coming year because it’s Principal decision and we have a new principal but last year was $3000 for books & $1000 for supplies.
Leslie We used to get $10 per student, then for 10 years we got $0. This is our 3rd year of getting $5 per student with minimum of $3000. I only have 500 students.
Becky We typically get a book budget, a tech budget, and a small general/supplies budget. It’s based on school enrollment and all comes from bond $$.
Siobhán I never get told my budget, nor am I involved in making it
Carianne Campus of 340-ish 1st and 2nd graders.
In the past, I had $2,250 for books, $900 for supplies, and $1,000 for conference/travel. This year, I think it was $2,000 for books, $700 for supplies, and I have no idea what my travel was, but I loved the conference I attended in April!!
I didn’t get word of my budget amounts until I went and asked in late April — the day before I was to have it all spent. I got it done, but the amounts surprised me a bit.
Ann $16 per student. So $8000.
Kevin 1440 for library/books. 1000 periodicals that can also transfer for books if needed
Kendra $0.00
Kate $0
Laurie 0
Jennifer 0
Sarah About $3,000. We have 485 students. $400 for supplies
Here is your opportunity – as a parent, teacher, faculty, community member, business owner, PLEASE ask this question of your local school director – What part of the school budget is set aside for our librarian, library, and new resources found in the library.
This will be the best possible gift to help support literacy in stemming from your library to the rest of any institution.
PAVEing a Blog 