Professional Artifacts
December 2022
November 2020
October 2020
I was selected as a Maryland State Teacher of the Year Finalist for 2020-21! Even though I did not win, I am very honored to have been recognized as a finalist!
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Summer 2020
Spring 2020
On May 1st, 2020, I was selected as the Washington County Public Schools Teacher of the Year. What an incredible honor. You can read my full blog post about it on my website. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. I am proud to represent the teachers of Washington County Public Schools in the Maryland Teacher of the Year event this fall.
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I am honored to have been selected as a WCPS Teacher of the Year finalist for 2020! Dr. Michael and a host of administrators from the Center for Educational Services surprised me at school on Friday, March 13th. I am excited to be a member of the group of exceptional teachers who were selected as finalists this year, and am thankful to have the support of my staff, students, and administrators!
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Washington County Public Schools closed at the end of the day on Friday, March 13th due to the COVID-19 Virus. In response to closures around the country, authors and publishers began to support teacher/librarian read-alouds of their books. I began immediately with Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein, recording myself reading two chapters per day each day since the closure began. The link has been shared with parents and posted on social media for all WCPS families to access. It is important to me to continue to connect with students and families during this unprecedented event.
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Winter 2020
In the Winter of 2020, I completed an MSDE online course titled Current Best Practices in School Library Media. The coursework focused on the new national school library media standards, providing an in-depth study of the standards for media specialists across the state. It was a great opportunity to network with other school librarians as well.
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Fall 2019 - Spring 2020
For the 2019 - 20 school year, I co-facilitated a literature focus group for all the WCPS Library Media Specialists on the book Game Changer! Book Access for All Kids by Donalyn Miller & Colby Sharp. We have addressed topics such as books for boys, diversity in children's literature, poetry, YA lit, and much more as we have explored this amazing resource!
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May 2019
I had the fantastic opportunity to hear Colby Sharp speak at the Washington County Free Library. His passionate presentation challenged my thinking about books and literature for ALL students... My biggest takeaway from the event was the quote "The absence of a voice is a judgement against it." As a result, I wrote grants and spent my media budget for 2019-20 further diversifying my building's collection!
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Fall - Winter 2018-19
During the Fall and Winter of 2018-19, I served as a founding member of WashCoLit, Washington County's chapter of the State of Maryland Literacy Association. I remain an active member and continue to support literacy efforts in Washington County through this organization.
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March 2018
August 2017
January 2017
I joined a county-level cohort to create BreakoutEDU games at the secondary level. I am currently writing 3 Breakout Challenges in conjunction with our Math, Science, and ELA departments. More information about BreakoutEDU can be found at their website:
http://breakoutedu.com |
December 2016
I was nominated for Maryland School Librarian of the Year award! WOW! I am both honored and humbled.
"Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL) is pleased to announce the 25 nominees for the 2017 Maryland School Librarian of the Year award which honors a school librarian for exemplary service and outstanding achievements in the field of school library media. The recipient of the award will be announced at the Common Ground Conference in Ocean City, MD ( May 4-5, 2017)." Additional information can be found here: http://maslmd.org/md_sloy/1803-2/ |
September 2016
April 2016
I attended the 2016 Spring Festival of Children's Literature held by the Children's Literature Centre at Frostburg State University. In addition to developing their mobile app, I contributed to twitter conversations as I attended the conference. I was able to hear four authors and illustrators speak about their craft and attend two small group PD sessions.
January 2016
I became a member of the Washington County Digital Learning plan team. This small group of library media specialists, mentors, and lead teachers have been tasked with developing and implementing the professional development for other LMSs and LTs for the system as we move forward with the 1:1 iPad initiative.
On January 13, 2016, I facilitated a Google Hangout for WCPS Library Media Specialists about the best apps and websites we found from the AASL 2015 conference in Columbus, Ohio.
The archive of the hangout can be accessed to the left. |
December 2015
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On December 9, 2015, I facilitated a Google Hangout for WCPS Library Media Specialists about the best apps and websites we found from the AASL 2015 conference in Columbus, Ohio.
The archive of the hangout can be accessed to the left. |
November 2015
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Click the file to the left to see my certificate of completion from School Library Journal!
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March 2015
March 2015
The Idea Box Show - #26 I participated in a podcast about developing a 1:1 program at a small elementary magnet school in Hagerstown, Maryland. Click HERE to listen in! |