In 2019, I attended my first AASL National Conference. I attended a session titled “Truth, Justice, and the School Library Way: Integrating the AASL and Social Justice Standards for the Win!” In this session, the presenters identified the relationship between… Read More ›
#AASLawards
Author Visit Inspires Heather Ridge School Students
I have the best job of all at Heather Ridge School (HRS): I am the librarian. HRS is a small, alternative school within the Frederick County Public School system in Frederick, Maryland. I love my students, staff, and community and… Read More ›
A Year of Thinking Creatively in a Secondary Library
In January of 2021, I had a seed of an idea and a vision for my library that I put down on paper in my application for an AASL Inspire Special Event Grant. At the time, I was halfway through… Read More ›
New Books, New Beginnings
It was too quiet in my library last year. Silence…crickets. There were no laughing kids, no one creating something in our makerspace, no one playing games and talking with their friends, and no one checking out books! Because of COVID… Read More ›
Empowering Maryland’s School Librarians through MASL
We want to start by saying that it is a wonderful honor to have been named Chapter of the Year for AASL. As a chapter, our goal is to empower our school librarian community. Our mission statement reads, “The Maryland… Read More ›
District Administrator Details How She Reimagines, Redefines, and Redesigns Education through the School Library
“Reimagining, redesigning, and redefining education to ensure learning and development for all.” This sentence is more than our school district’s mission statement. This sentence summarizes my life’s purpose and passion, to find and develop new and exciting ways to reach… Read More ›
DC Virgo Preparatory Academy Hopes to Spark Joy in Reading While Building Literacy Skills through Inspire Special Event Grant
At D.C. Virgo Preparatory Academy (DCVPA), we focus on four pillars that drive school decision-making: Social and Emotional Learning, School and Community Resiliency, Literacy, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support/Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support. A needs assessment of the school community… Read More ›
What the Frances Henne Award Means to Me
When I applied for the Frances Henne Award, I was unfamiliar with the role the woman the award was named after played in my calling as a school librarian. When I won, I felt compelled to learn more about Henne…. Read More ›
How Teamwork and the AASL Standards Positioned Calvert County Public School Libraries for the NSLY Award
Three years ago, the idea of applying for the National School Library of the Year Award through AASL seemed distant. The school librarians at Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) in Prince Frederick, Maryland, were doing great things in the district…. Read More ›
The Power Project: AASL 2020 Roald Dah’s Miss Honey Social Justice Award Recipient
“Having power is not nearly as important as what you choose to do with it,” says the wise-beyond-her-years Matilda. The theme of power plays an important role in most of Roald Dahl’s work, particularly youth standing up against powerful adults… Read More ›