AASL Announces 2018 Award Recipients

By Meg Featheringham, KQ Editor on 05/11/2018 • ( 0 )

AASL has announced the recipients of its 2018 awards. AASL awards and grants recognize excellence and showcase best practices in the school library field in categories that include collaboration, leadership, and innovation. Recipients of this prestigious program are celebrated for their outstanding talent and dedication to the profession.

National School Library Program of the Year Award
Awarded to: Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, Virginia
Sponsored by Follett, the award annually recognizes a school library program that meets the needs of the changing school and library environment and is fully integrated into the school’s curriculum. Recipient receives a crystal obelisk and $10,000.
ABC-CLIO Leadership Grant
Awarded to: The Alabama School Library Association (ASLA)
Sponsored by ABC-CLIO, the up to $1,750 grant is awarded to school library associations that are AASL affiliates for planning and implementing leadership programs at the state, regional, or local levels.
Affiliate of the Year Award
Awarded to: The Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA)
Sponsored by AASL, the $1,000 stipend recognizes the AASL Affiliate most active and dynamic in achieving the goals of AASL at the state and local level. AASL established the Affiliate of the Year Award to acknowledge the important contributions Affiliates make to the national organization and to the profession.
Collaborative School Library Award
Awarded to: Janine Johnson, school librarian; Emily Shiller, library assistant; Kim Moran, technology integrator; and Charlsie Vanderrest and Kelly Hall, 7th grade science teachers at Scotts Ridge Middle School Library in Ridgefield, Connecticut
Sponsored by Upstart, the $2,500 award recognizes and encourages collaboration and partnerships between school librarians and teachers in meeting goals outlined in AASL’s program guidelines through joint planning of a program, unit or event in support of the curriculum and using school library resources.
Distinguished School Administrator Award
Awarded to: Michael Daria, superintendent of Tuscaloosa City Schools (TCS)
Sponsored by ProQuest, the $2,000 award is presented to a school administrator who has made worthy contributions to the operations of an exemplary school library and to advancing the role of the school library in the educational program.
Frances Henne Award
Awarded to: Deb Sondall Saetveit, school librarian at Westside Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska
Sponsored by ABC-CLIO, the $1,250 award enables a school librarian with five or fewer years in the field to attend an ALA Annual Conference or AASL National Conference for the first time.
Innovative Reading Grant
Awarded to: Judy Deichman, school librarian at Nottoway Middle School in Crewe, Virginia
Sponsored by Capstone, the $2,500 award supports the planning and implementation of a unique and innovative program for children that motivates and encourages reading, especially with struggling readers.
Inspire Collection Development Grants
Awarded to: Carolyn Bushey, I.C. Norcom High School, Portsmouth, Virginia; LeAnn Dowty, Kingsbury Middle School, Memphis, Tennessee; Cynthia Johnson, Longleaf Middle School, Columbia, South Carolina; Shannon Knowlton, Poplar Middle School, Poplar, Montana; Samantha Marker, Samuel M. Ridgway Middle School, Edgewater Park, New Jersey; Stacy Udo, Olympia High School, Olympia, Washington
Sponsored by Marina “Marney” Welmers, the grant assists an existing public middle or high school can extend, update, and diversify the book, online, subscription and/or software collections in their library in order to realize sustainable improvement in student achievement at their school. The Fund is $20,000 per year. The direct assistance grant shall be capped at $5,000.
Inspire Special Event Grants
Awarded to: Kelly DeLeon, Sussex Central High School, Georgetown, Delaware; Claudine Dixon, Greece Arcadia High School, Rochester, New York; Michelyne Gray, Cherry Creek High School, Greenwood Village, Colorado; Justine Kay, Benjamin Franklin Intermediate School, Daly City, California; Jeff Treistman, Denny International Middle School, Seattle, Washington
Sponsored by Marina “Marney” Welmers, the grant supports a special event so that an existing public middle or high school library can create new or enhance its extracurricular activities in order to increase student academic achievement at their school. The fund is $10,000 per annum. The direct assistance is capped at $2,000 per grant.
Roald Dahl’s Miss Honey Social Justice Award
Awarded to: Keungsuk Sexton, school librarian and literacy support teacher; Louis DeCarlo, early intervention counselor; Omar Alvarez, 7th- and 8th-grade English and language arts teacher; and Janice Alvarez, reading specialist from Dr. Michael Conti School – PS 5 in Jersey City, New Jersey
Sponsored by Penguin Random House, the award recognizes and encourages collaboration and partnerships between school librarians and teachers in teaching social justice through joint planning of a program, unit or event in support of social justice using school library resources. The award includes $2,000 to the librarian, up to $1,000 in reimbursement towards travel and housing to attend the AASL awards presentation at the ALA Annual Conference, and a $5,000 book donation by Penguin Random House.
The Ruth Toor Grant for Strong Public School Libraries
Awarded to: Mike Havener, school librarian at Springfield High School in Springfield, Illinois
Sponsored by Jay Toor, the award provides funding support on a competitive basis to public school libraries for the creation and implementation of a local public awareness/marketing campaign that promotes and positions their school library as a necessary resource in the community. The grant includes $3,000 to create and implement a project, and $2,000 for both the school librarian and school official to attend the AASL national conference or the ALA Annual Conference.

The recipients of the new AASL Past-Presidents Planning Grant for National School Library Standards will be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to the KQ website for the announcement.

The AASL award winners will be honored at the AASL Awards Ceremony & President’s Program during the 2018 ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. The ceremony will be held from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Saturday, June 23. All are welcome to celebrate the accomplishments of their peers during this recognition event.

Author: Meg Featheringham, KQ Editor

Meg Featheringham is responsible for the development and production of the AASL journal, Knowledge Quest. When not working at AASL, Meg enjoys playing euchre, attending concerts and plays, spending time with family and friends, and reading (of course).