Greenville County Media Specialists
Secondary News 2013-2014
SCASL CON
Wednesday, Mar 11, 2015, 08:00 AM
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, Lincoln Street, Columbia, SC, United States
Wade Hampton HS Changes
Theresa Morelli:
I have enjoyed my year at Wade Hampton High School and have made many changes to the physical environment which makes the media center more functional. The non-fiction area was so far away from the circulation desk that students couldn't be seen or helped in a timely fashion. So the first week on the job, we were moving book cases and over 4,000 books from one end of the room to the other. I created a central reading zone and moved tables and chairs nearer the computers to form an area for instruction. Student art was hung on the walls and a poster of the Generals' logo was added to make an attractive display. Multiple shelving units were added in order to provide more space for the Common Core collection development. Books had to be moved again to take advantage of the additional space. Students in the art department made wonderful signage. This changed the total atmosphere of the room and made it so much more inviting. Students and staff reacted positively to all the changes. Patron needs were placed at the forefront of my media program. I would like to thank all of my volunteers who made these changes less daunting. Joan Mullin, retired media specialist, Sandy and Bruce Bailey, Sandy Ingram, retired teacher and Beth Barth, former Robert E. Cashion teacher, gave of their time and their talents.
Local author at Eastside High
New Student Mural
Poetry Slam
Janet Allen receives RVP Grant!
Create-a-Collage Project
Reading Posters
Divergent Day--the Dauntless at GHS!
Online Safety Awareness
Greer High's new lounge chairs
News from earlier in the year.....
Southside High Book Club
Skyping with Paul Volponi
Inspired by an email promoting Skype sessions with Paul Volponi and many requests for The Final Four by students in one of our English teacher's classes, two Skype sessions were held in Mauldin High School's Media Center. Mrs. Beth Berry's freshman English classes and Mauldin High Media Specialist Stacy Henderson skyped with young adult author Paul Volponi. Mr. Volponi has written 11 popular young adult and middle school fiction novels. During their session, Mr. Volponi encouraged our students to never give up on their dreams.
Poetry Alive Comes to Mauldin High
Mauldin High English classes had the opportunity to attend and participate in an interactive workshop held in the MHS auditorium led by the popular, entertaining Poetry Alive! group. Based in Asheville, NC since 1984, Poetry Alive! provides a high-energy performance involving the audience in their dramatic re-telling of a poem. These exercises are designed to enhance the ability of our students to conduct in-depth explorations of texts. This visit was coordinated by our media center intern, Abbie Richey, who is currently an English teacher at MHS.
Stacy Holcombe Henderson on Educational Technology
Movies in the Classroom
At JL Mann, students used iMovie to create video summaries/reenactments of the book The Stranger. In addition to the required incorporation of literary elements, they were required to demonstrate their ability to use iMovie to express their creative interpretation of the novel. Students were taught how to create, edit and produce video. Final videos were uploaded to YouTube and viewed by the students who then voted on the best video production. See the sample student video above, posted on YouTube.
Special Elections @ Riverside Middle
Conway Belangia from the Greenville County Election Commission visited the Riverside Middle School Library with his staff on Tuesday, February 25th. Mr. Belangia spoke with some of the 8th grade social studies classes about local elections, registering to vote, and demonstrated how the voting machines work. The staff also set up a special election for SC Junior Book Awards. Eligible students were able to use a real voting machine to cast their ballots for their favorite title!
Hillcrest Middle's Author Visits
Shelby Bach, the author of the Everafter Series, spoke to the 6th grade students at Hillcrest Middle on March 5, 2014. She signed books, ate lunch with some 7th grade students and provided bookmarks and stickers for all. Her third book in the series, Of Sorcery and Snow, will be published this summer.
And, on April 22, the HMS Media Center will host the road tour of the authors Wendy Van Draanen and Mark Parsons. 7th grade students will hear the California authors discuss their books, the writing process, and how they've managed to share the same office for twenty years without bloodshed. Wendelin Van Draanen has written more than thirty novels for young readers and teens. She is the author of the long running Edgar-winning Sammy Keyes series, and two four-book series for younger readers (Shredderman and The Gecko & Sticky). Additionally she has written several stand-alone novels, including The Running Dream, Swear to Howdy, and Flipped (named a Top 100 Children’s Novel for the 21st Century by SLJ and became a Warner Brothers feature film). Mark Parsons has published primarily non-fiction, penning over a hundred articles for national magazines as well as a pair of non-fiction books. His debut novel, Road Rash, is a YA adventure about a high school boy who goes on the road with a band. It draws from Parsons’s many years of experience as a rock drummer. Books are available for purchase and will be autographed the day of the event. Click here for book information. Want to view their video? Watch here!!
...in the Riverside Middle School library this February! Seventh and eighth grade students participated in speed dating with books during their English classes. All students were invited to take a chance on a blind date with a book. See more pictures here!
Mauldin High's New Art
So many blank walls... what to do? Working with Greenville based emediagroup , images and quotes were designed to reflect everyday activities in the media center. The images are not painted but are printed decals!
Olympic Reading, Olympic Prizes
Hillcrest Middle School students participated in an Olympic Reading Challenge, "Read for the Gold." We celebrated with a breakfast for champions and gave out prizes. Sky Zone, Greenville Pavilion and the Road Warriors donated prizes.
Nooks @ Northwest
Northwest Middle School Assistant Principal, Julie Whetston-Carlson, received a grant from Walmart at the end of the 2013-2014 school year. With her grant money, she purchased 22 Simple Touch Glowlight Nooks and donated them to the media center. Media Specialist, Keri Reaney, used the e-readers to begin a Nook Book Club. Seventh grade girls read When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead and sixth grade boys will read Masters of Disaster by Gary Paulsen during March.