GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION May 2005 Volume 3, Number 10 Media Matters A monthly newsletter for people who love library media programs 2005 Exemplary Media Programs Announced Congratulations to the outstanding media programs chosen by the Department of Education as the 2005 Exemplary Media Programs. They will be honored by the State Board of Education on May 12, 2005. Riverbend Elementary in Hall County: Media Specialist Nita Baker Carrollton Junior High in Carrollton: Media Specialist Mary Jane Davis Wheeler High School in Cobb County: Media Specialists Andy Spinks and Renee Marsala Nita and Scheree Mary Jane Renee and Andy Media Matters May 2005 Page 2 Late Breaking Bulletin! The winner of the first Georgia Peach Award for Teen Readers was announced at the Children's Literature Conference in Athens on April 30th. We will honor the recipients at COMO in October. The 2005 Peach award winner is: First Part Last by Angela Johnson The two honor books are: Breathing Underwater by Alex Finn Stoner & Spaz by Ron Koertge In this issue: Exemplary Media Program 1 Georgia Peach Award win- 2 ner 2005 Retirees 3 We the People Recipients 4 2005-2006 Peach Award 5 nominees Honors! 7 Media Festival 8 Summer Vacation Reading 9 Club Calendar 10 2005 Georgia Children's Book Award Winners STANLEY'S PARTY by Linda Bailey (Picture Book Awad winner for K-4 grades) LOSER by Jerry Spinelli (Book Award winner for 4-8 grades) Page 3 Media Matters Best Wishes to Our 2005 Retirees Jimmy Stout Phyllis Snipes Judy Jones Ann Bohn Brent Wheeler Lee Perkins Dianne Dees Sherrill Napier Sandra Yarnell Deglouris Wooten Gwen Kitchens Patricia Blanks Evelyn Dunham Mary Squires Beautie Moore Kathy Ponier Marilyn Lowe Judy Sousa Betty McNiff Mary Wade Charlotte Shirley Spalding High School/Griffin Carrollton High School/Carrollton/31 years Livingston Elementary/Newton/35 years Newton County/34 years Dade County Schools/32 years Buford City/36 years Valdosta High School/32 years Valdosta Middle School/31 years McEachern High/Cobb/34 years Barden Elementary/Bibb Westside High School/Bibb Wells Primary/Jones Greer Elementary/Glynn Pleasant Grove Elementary/Whitfield Park Elementary/Harris County Simpson Middle/Cobb Pitner Elementary/Cobb Kell High School/Cobb Mt. Bethel Elementary/Cobb Teasley Elementary/Cobb Dodgen Middle School/Cobb Are you retiring? Were you the TOTY or Media Specialist of the Year? Was your name omitted from this issue? Let us know and we will spotlight you in the next issue. Media Matters May 2005 Page 4 2006 Nominees for the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teens 1. The Afterlife by Gary Soto. You'd think a knife in the ribs would be the end of things, but for Chuy, that's when his life at last gets interesting. SLJ, BL http://www.garysoto.com/ 2. An Hour Before Daylight by Jimmy Carter. The former president tells the story of his rural boyhood, and paints a sensitive portrait of America before the civil rights movement. BL www.cartercenter.org/ 3. Battle Dress by Amy Efaw. In this insider account of a female cadet's first summer at West Point, readers are given a potent dose of military life. SLJ http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-efaw-amy.asp 4. Bittersweet by Drew Lamm. When her beloved Grams, who has raised her from infancy, suffers a stroke, Taylor's world is shaken. SLJ, BL 5. Bloody Jack by Louis A Meyer. Reduced to begging and thievery in the streets of London, a thirteen-yearold orphan disguises herself as a boy and connives her way onto a British warship set for high sea adventure in search of pirates. SLJ, BL http://www.cindyvallar.com/bloodyjack.html 6. Breath by Donna Jo Napoli. It is the late thirteenth century, and Hameln town and its surroundings are overwhelmed by a terrible, incurable illness. Every where animals are sick and dying; humans may be next. What can be causing the scourge? SLJ, BL 7. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. Narrated by a fifteen-year-old autistic savant obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, this dazzling novel weaves together an old-fashioned mystery, a contemporary coming-of-age story and a fascinating excursion into a mind incapable of processing emotions. SLJ, BL http://www.powells.com/authors/haddon.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3433849.stm 8. Double Helix by Nancy Werlin. Eli has lucked into a job at Wyatt Transgenics--offered to him by Dr. Wyatt, the famed scientist. The salary is substantial, the work is interesting, and Dr. Wyatt seems to be paying special attention to Eli. It's almost too good to be true. Is there a catch? SLJ, BL http://www.nancywerlin.com/ 9. East by Edith Pattou. East is a novel retelling of the classic tale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," a sweeping romantic epic. SLJ, BL 10. Fault Line by Janet Tashjian. This novel tackles the difficult and complex subject of teen relationship abuse from the viewpoints of both the victim and the perpetrator. SLJ, BL http://www.janettashjian.com/ 11. Feed by M.T. Anderson. This ironic satire is set in a future world where television and computers are connected directly into people's brains when they are babies. SLJ, BL http://www.walkerbooks.co.uk/M.T.-Anderson 12. Finding Fish by Antwone Q. Fisher. A tumultuous and ultimately gratifying tale of self-discovery written in Fisher's gritty yet melodic literary voice. LJ http://www.harperacademic.com/catalog/instructors_guide_xml.asp?isbn=0060539860 13. How Angel Peterson Got His Name by Gary Paulsen. When you grow up in a small town in the north woods, you have to make your own excitement. SLJ, BL http://www.randomhouse.com/features/garypaulsen/ 14. Imani in Never Say Goodbye by Jackie Hardrick. As Imani, star of her high school b-ball team, struggles with the SATs and worries over how she'll pay for college, other girls in her crowd deal with grimmer problems, including single motherhood and drug addiction. SLJ, BL http://www.authorsden.com/jackiehardrick 15. Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly. Set in 1906 against the backdrop of the murder that inspired Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy, Jennifer Donnelly's astonishing debut novel effortlessly weaves romance, history, and a murder mystery. SLJ, BL http://www.jenniferdonnelly.com/ 16. Nothing to Lose by Alex Flinn. A year has passed since Michael fled his impossible home life to join a traveling carnival. Now the 17-year-old runaway has returned to Miami to find his mother going on trial for the murder of his savagely abusive stepfather. SLJ, BL http://www.alexflinn.com/ 17. Revenge of the Whale by Nathaniel Philbrick. The story of the Nantucket whaleship Essex, which sank in the Pacific in November 1820, after being deliberately rammed twice by an apparently enraged sperm whale. SLJ http://www.bookbrowse.com/index.cfm?page=author&authorID=415&view=interview 18. Shattering Glass by Gail Giles. An exploration of the consequences of following a charismatic but amoral leader. SLJ, BL http://www.gailgiles.com/ 19. Singer of All Songs by Kate Constable. Calwyn has lived all her life behind the high ice-wall that guards the sisters of Antaris from the world of Tremaris. The sisters practice ice chantment -- one of the Nine Powers of chantment, a form of magic worked through music. BL http://www.kateconstable.com/ 20. True Confessions of a Heartless Girl by Martha Brooks. This affecting novel reminds readers that it's never too late for forgiveness and that sometimes the most unlikely messenger can deliver a small miracle. SLJ, BL http://www.mbwriter.mb.ca/mapindex/b_profiles/brooks_m.html Media Matters May 2005 Page 6 We the People Bookshelf Recipients "Libraries serve as beacons of learning in schools and communities," said NEH Chairman Bruce Cole. "The We the People Bookshelf enables younger readers to examine important themes from many perspectives. This year's bookshelf tells the stories of freedom sought, freedom denied, freedom lived." In 2004, the first year of the We the People Bookshelf, one thousand libraries received books for young readers on the theme of "courage." The new awards are part of the Endowment's We the People initiative, which supports projects that strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture. The school will receive a set of 15 books, posters, bookmarks, and other promotional materials from NEH through the American Library Association, which is working in partnership with NEH. Later this year, an additional 500 libraries will be selected to receive the books. The Georgia schools receiving this honor are: Union County High School in Blairsville Gordon Central High School in Calhoun Coffee High School in Douglas Sky View Elementary in Mableton East Fannin Elementary in Morganton Richmond Hill High School in Richmond Hill Thomas Crossroads Elementary School in Sharpsburg Riverwatch Middle School in Suwanee Dade Elementary in Trenton Dade Middle in Trenton Tunnel Hill Elementary in Tunnel Hill Congratulations! Media Matters May 2005 Page 7 Media Specialists are Teachers! Congratulations to: Jamie L. Kossak Austin Elementary School TOTY /DeKalb Maribeth Driskell Coralwood School TOTY /DeKalb Jean Gravette Bertha Weathersbee Elementary TOTY /Troup Carole Williams Matilda Harris Elementary TOTY/Camden Kalisha MeShaun George MLK Jr. Middle TOTY/Atlanta Jane Rabey Idlewood School TOTY/DeKalb Alyse Hirsekorn Walton High School TOTY/Cobb Stephanie Gwinn Parkside Elementary TOTY/Atlanta Jennifer Burke Centennial Place Elementary TOTY/Atlanta Jacqueline Hornsby West Side Magnet School TOTY/Troup Marilyn Hoehne Bascomb Elementary TOTY/Cherokee Jennifer Harkelroad Thomas Crossroads Elementary TOTY/Coweta Angela Dallis Betsy Razza Donna Milner Bernadette Weiss Jo Ann Jones Andy Spinks Yvonne Stuart Columbia County Media Specialist of the Year DeKalb County Media Specialist of the Year Camden County Media Specialist of the Year Glynn County Media Specialist of the Year Valdosta City Media Specialist of the Year Cobb County Media Specialist of the Year Bibb County Media Specialist of the Year Donna Milner Georgia's Media Specialist of the Year Page 8 Media Matters Media Matters May 2005 2005 Georgia Student Media Festival Over one hundred media specialists, technology specialists, teachers, and other educators gathered at the Georgia Public Broadcasting building in Atlanta on April 22nd to participate in the 29th annual Georgia Student Media Festival. This year's festival was sponsored by The Georgia Association for Instructional Technology, an affiliate of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology and the Georgia Library Association. Over 640 projects in eight categories were submitted. These projects were created by students in grades K 12. Each system that submitted projects sent judges to assist with the festival. Judges came from as far away as Early County, leaving home at 2:30 A.M. to make it to GPB on time. Projects that received a superior rating are eligible to go to the International Student Media Festival sponsored by AECT. This is the second year that GPB has collaborated with coordinators of the GSMF to host the festival at their facility. The Education Services Department at GPB played a key role in helping before, during, and after the festival. They are a wonderful group and deserve a round of applause for their hard work and support. A sampling of some of the best of the best will be available on the Georgia Student Media Festival information web page hosted by GPB at http://www.gpb.org/public/education/features/sep04/mediafestival.jsp. Check the web page often for updates and information on the 2006 Georgia Student Media Festival. Thanks to everyone who participated and helped in any way. Michelle Lenderman Bibb County Media Specialist 2005 GSMF Co-Chair Page 9 Media Matters May 2005 Georgia Department of Education 1952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive Atlanta, Georgia 30334 Phone: 404-657-9800 Fax: 404-657-6822 Email: judy.serritella@doe.k12.ga.us We will lead the nation in improving student achievement. The Georgia Public Libraries 2005 Summer Vacation Reading Club is entitled FUNtastic Reading. Get more information at the Georgia Public Libraries website at: Want to apply for a We the People bookshelf next year? Check out their web site at: http://www.neh.gov/ http://www.georgialibraries.org/lib/cild.html M ay 2005 G aD O E Library M edia Services Sunday 1 Monday 2 1st American climbs Mt. Everest: 1963 Birthday of Bobbie Mason: 1940- Dr. Benjamin Spock born: 1902-1998 Tuesday 3 Wednesday 4 Thursday 5 Birthday of Yehuda Amichai: 19242000 Horace Mann Birthday ofLeo born: 1796-1859 Lionni: 1910- 1999 Friday 6 Saturday 7 Theodore White Robert Browning born: 1915-1986 born: 1812-1889 Willie Mays born: 1931 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Birthday ofHarry Truman: 18841972 Eleanor Estes Nelson Mandela born: 1906-1988 inaugurated as South African president: 1994 Irving Berlin born: Birthday ofFarley 1888-1989 Mowat: 1921- Jamestown founded: 1607 Lewis and Clark depart: 1804 15 16 Birthday ofL. Frank Baum: 1856-1919 Paul Zindel born: 1936- Bruce Coville born: 1950 17 18 Supreme Court Mt. St. Helens rules in Brown v erupts: 1980 Board ofEducation: 1954 19 20 21 Johns Hopkins Spirit ofSt. Louis born: 1795-1873 leaves for nonstop flight: 1927 Amelia Earhart completes Trans-Atlantic flight: 1932 22 Arthur Conan Doyle born: 1859-1930 23 24 25 26 27 1st kindergarten James Joyce born: in United States: 1882-1941 1827 Ralph Waldo Emerson's birthday: 18031882 Sally Ride's birthday: 1951- Birthday of Rachel Carson: 1907-1964 28 Ian Fleming born: 1908-1964 29 Birthday of Patrick Henry: 1736-1799 30 Countee Cullen born: 1903 Memorial Day! 31 Walt Whitman born: 1819-1892 April S M TW T F S 12 3456789 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 June S M TW T F S 1234 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 M y poetry,Ithink,has becom e the way ofm y giving outwhatm usic is within m e. Countee Cu llen