• 2022/2023 Impact Report

Librarian

  • The Lopez Library hosts two book clubs, Lone Star Book Club and Manga Club, that rotate every Thursday morning before school. The members read the books on the Texas Lone Star Reading List and do a quick book talk about the book that they are currently reading. The Manga Club is student-led and groups of students sign up to present on a topic of their choice.
  • The Library Student Advisory Council created monthly reading challenges using Canva. They came up with a different theme for each month: Hispanic Heritage Month, October Spooky Reads, December Holiday Books, etc., and students won prizes when they completed the challenge. The LSAC students also plan and host monthly craft events before school in the library.
  • The 7th grade ELAR Team and librarian collaborated on the author visit for this school year. The 7th grade students read the Global Read Aloud, Thirst by Varsha Bajaj. The librarian planned and hosted Mrs. Bajaj in January of 2023.
  • Every February, the library runs a “Blind Date with a Book” giveaway. Books are collected throughout the year from parent and student donations and previous year’s book club copies. Students wrap books in purple paper and decorate them with hints. On the week of Valentine’s Day, the books are displayed on a spinning bookshelf and placed at the library entrance. It is one of our most popular traditions!
student holding a reading challenge paper and his prize
 
 
8,391
print books in collection
 
14,874
ebooks books in collection
 
10,173
print books checked out
 
2,862
ebooks books checked out
 
librarian standing in front of students at tables presenting

Teacher

  • The AP Spanish teacher and librarian planned and taught in a team effort to increase students' knowledge of Spanish, using research of Latin American countries as a conduit to increase the students’ speaking and writing skills. Students utilized library resources and showcased their new knowledge and skills using a digital portfolio on Google Sites.
  • The U.S. History teacher and librarian collaborated on a research lesson for their students to investigate the different sides of the First and Second Amendments. The students used two online library resources to find articles supporting and against the Amendments.
  • The 7th grade GT ELAR teacher and librarian collaborated on an inquiry project for the book Fahrenheit 451. The students used two library databases to explore their topics and create research questions for more exploration.
  • The librarian and 7th grade dual-language reading teacher teamed up to create interest in our Spanish fiction books. The librarian created a genre-tasting activity. The students learned to identify different genres by using books from each genre, scanning QR codes to watch book trailers, and keeping a log of books they were interested in reading.
 

librarian standing over table of students on chromebooks

Lesson Spotlight

The theater teacher and librarian prepared the Advanced Theater class for their competition speeches by researching the pros and cons of their topics using SIRS Issues Researcher. The librarian created a Google Site to house the resources needed for this project, including search terms, video tutorials, and links to shared Google Drive folders for the students to place their articles. Students spent five days in the library locating articles that were in favor or opposition of their selected topics, collected the pieces in the shared class folder, and were able to highlight and take notes in preparation for writing their speeches. In reflection, this year’s research was more streamlined than last year, and using the Google Site made the project run much smoother. The students had an easier time finding what they needed and got to work immediately.

 

Collaborator

  • Librarians were divided into Professional Learning Communities this school year, and my team consisted of five middle school librarians. My team created a goal each quarter, and our first one focused on providing training to teachers and staff on district resources and technology.
  • Mr. Trotter (ALE) and the librarian worked together on a Hispanic Heritage Month lesson and a paper flower craft. All ALE students participated in the Hispanic Heritage Month reading challenge and received prizes at the end of the month.
  • The instructional technology specialist and librarian worked on the CITE team that pushed out the new campus Chromebooks. The librarian supported the training sessions that the teachers completed throughout November. The team also met throughout the year to determine the checkout process.
  • The librarian worked with other librarians and teachers to host watch parties for various speakers. The librarian at Harris MS hosted a speaker for Holocaust Remembrance Week. Lopez hosted a watch event and Zoomed the presentation to our library after school. Students from our GT 8th grade ELAR class participated. The librarian at Bradley MS set up a virtual author visit with Lisa Fipps, and Lopez hosted a watch party in the library.

Collaboration Spotlight

The theater teacher, librarian, and instructional technology specialist teamed up to re-energize the annual newscast project using new technology (Canva). The librarian and instructional technology specialist created Google documents for the recording and editing process and other resources that students used to complete their projects. We all troubleshot technology issues that cropped up to ensure students' success. Students wrote scripts, recorded their scenes with the teacher's help, and then used Canva's new video editor to upload their videos and add background images and other aspects to their newscasts. Students did a fantastic job on their newscast, and using Canva's video editor made a vast difference in the quality of the student's final projects.

 

five librarians (all women) in boxes on a square zoom screen during a meeting

Campus Leader

  • The librarian sent out a monthly newsletter to staff and parents about upcoming events, highlights from the previous month, spotlights on district library resources, and monthly circulation statistics. The newsletter, Panther Pages, was emailed to staff and sent out in the principal’s monthly newsletter.
  • The librarian served with Ms. Preiss, the Human Services teacher, as the Veterans Day Co-Chairs. The librarian and Ms. Preiss located a guest speaker and coordinated all groups involved (band, choir, theater, social studies, etc.), including the MC, music, program, and slideshow of veterans.
  • The librarian hosted monthly Lunch and Learn teacher training (in collaboration with the campus ITS) focused on EduProtocols, library resources, and other digital resources such as Canva and Google Sites. The earliest sessions focused on the new library digital resources, CultureGrams and News-O-Matic, and materials from each session were organized using a Google Site.
  • The librarian serves on many committees around campus, including the Leadership Team, Campus Improvement Committee, Campus Wide Character Strong Team, and the Campus Integration of Technology Enthusiasts Committee. As one of 3 members of the Character Strong Team, the librarian is responsible for implementing the 7th-grade Character Strong curriculum.
 
top of library newsletter for march, green with flowers and a list of upcoming events
librarian standing in front of a smartboard with a table of food and sign in papers