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The Gazette
By E.A. SEAGRAVES Staff Reporter
Baywood Elementary's halls and library were transformed last week into a miniature library.
Teacher Kelli Adams, reading coach Sharon Royall and volunteer Lenny Sirk worked a few days getting ready for the school's “Fall in Love with a New Book” event, which was held last Thursday evening to let parents and student review 1,083 new library books.
The school used $14,000 from a Reading First grant to buy the new books.
Fifteen themed tables were spread with books and decorations. A holiday book table that had an Easter bunny, a Santa Claus figurine and a miniature Christmas tree. Standing on end and stacked among the holiday representatives were books by award-winning authors and books about holidays.
In the halls, themed tables included multicultural and series, favorite authors, science, math, alphabet and poetry and fiction.
Because Baywood has not tested well in social studies in the Standards of Learning, the whole library is dedicated to that subject, Adams said. The school didn't miss accreditation by much, she said.
The library held tables for geography, economics and civics, history, famous people and the United States of America.
Adams had worked on the project since November. She's using the hours toward a requirement for her master's degree in library media specialty at Radford University.
Adams put in several hours researching and selecting books that would fit students' Standards of Learning, said Royall. Because the school has received a Reading First grant, it is provided with a reading coach.
Adams said she put in more than 25 hours in selecting the books.
That included researching what the school's library is lacking, asking teachers what books they'd like to see and looking for books that would meet Standards of Learning standards.
The school system uses Follett Library Resources for its books, Adams said. This company has a program called “Titlewave” that gives book suggestions that complement SOLs.
Adams said she checked every science and social studies SOL for complementary books in each grade level.
Once the books arrived, the teacher and volunteers spent hours looking them over for defects, checking the order list to make sure all books arrived and reviewing illustrations in the books to make sure they were appropriate for students.
To celebrate receiving the books, the kindergarten teacher, along with Royall and Sirk, organized “Fall in Love with a New Book.”
The evening was filled with events such as an illustrated story time read by Adams and demonstrated by Principal John Alexander, a short story read by Galax children's librarian Carlene Poole, and games and crafts in the gym and library.
Students got to color bookmarks, guess the number of pages in a book and the number of hearts in a jar. Parents got to share their favorite childhood book.
In the illustrated story time, the principal got to play the part of a peddler in the book “Caps for Sale” by Esphyr Slobodkina. Alexander acted out the story as Adams read from the book.
Adams and Royall said Sirk created all the props and decorated the stage in the auditorium by herself. Sirk puts in a lot of volunteer hours at the school, they said.
“Mrs. Sirk is a wonderful volunteer,” Royall said.
The stage was decorated with a colorful tree with stuffed monkeys hanging off of it, a rocking chair, a night sky and other props.
Alexander asked Adams when she started the project to make a big to-do about receiving the books.
“It's not every day a school gets $14,000 for library books,” she explained.
http://www.galaxgazette.com/articles/2007/02/12/news/news01.txt
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