Check out this news release from our District Communications Department:
‘Slow down and read,’ is the new slogan of Cherry Creek Schools Library Services. This slogan is paired with a new sloth mascot, who was in need of a name.
To help excite students across the district about reading, the Library Services Department held a district-wide naming contest for their new mascot. They also purchased two stuffed sloths—one to travel around the district, and another to live in the district library.
“One of the things that I wanted to do was give our library services department an identity,” said Cherry Creek Schools Library Services Partner, Len Bryan. “I thought, why don’t we have a slogan of ‘slow down and read’? Because we’re all in a hurry, we’re all rushing.”
The naming contest received over 200 entries with fantastic names including Bookie, Leo, and Flash. In order to determine the winner, students were asked to vote on their favorite name.
The winning name was Nugget, submitted by Willow Creek Elementary kindergartener, Zane Tardiff. Zane said she was inspired by the Denver Nuggets basketball team!
As a prize, Zane received a miniature stuffed sloth, and a week with Nugget in her classroom.
“One of our District’s strategic goals is literacy,” said Bryan. “While we teach literacy in class and with direct instruction, kids only really get good at reading when they get a chance to practice. This is a very engaging event to motivate them to practice. Especially for kindergarten kids who may not quite be reading yet, but are excited to give Nugget a hug and begin developing contextual and pictorial literacy.”
Nugget has an official ID badge and is ready to visit students across the district. Look for Nugget in your school library soon! – CCSD In The News
What is your library’s identity? Do you have a logo, slogan, or mascot? Our District Library Services team has all three, and though they have taken most of a year to develop, we are starting to see the benefits as staff, students,and families are beginning to recognize Nugget, our slogan “Slow Down and Read,”, and our logo, which we are careful to include on every piece of material we create and distribute.
Remember, if you do not tell the library’s story, someone else will be happy to make one up for you, and it might be one you don’t like very much. The library should be a source of “Happy Kid Data”, positive stories that uplift and connect our communities, and having a mascot with a cute name, a slogan, and a recognizable brand helps set the stage for creating that positive narrative.
Love the thought about the library being a source of Happy Kid Data. A great perspective as a new school year is just about to start!
I love the idea of a library mascot that can travel to schools, and the way you tied it to your slogan was brilliant. This is an affordable, highly engaging idea that can easily be replaced in other schools. Thanks for sharing!
*replicated (instead of replaced)