BOURNE — Superintendent Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou is pleased to report that starting this year the Bourne Public Schools now have full-time library media specialists in each of its four schools.
They include:
- Josh Newhouse, Bourne High School
- Sara Riggle, Bourne Middle School
- Mary Weatherby, Bourne Intermediate School
- Elaine Griffith, Bournedale Elementary School
The Bourne Public Schools have long had a goal of embedding various forms of educational information technology into curriculum throughout the district.
For the past several years Bourne High School and Bourne Middle School have each shared a library media specialist, in part with the goal of easing student transitions from one school to the next. The position became vacant last year following a retirement, and due to the pandemic and virtual learning it was not filled.
Heading into this year principals and administrators sought to employ full-time library media specialists for each of the schools, furthering the district’s focus on literacy and emphasizing such skills as research, reading comprehension and digital learning/information technology.
“We know that having vibrant libraries in our schools that serve as ‘learning commons’ will allow students to pursue research, spark ideas and develop a lifelong love of reading,” Superintendent Quinlan-Zhou said. “We also know that many of the library/media standards intersect with other Massachusetts standards, especially around research, and more experience in this area was warranted.”
Additionally, as the Bourne Public Schools developed flexible groupings and personalized learning for students through WIN (What I Need) periods, the district saw a great opportunity in hiring creative library educators who can offer engaging enrichment learning for students during the WIN block.
The four new library media specialists across the district bring a variety of backgrounds and experience levels, with some new to Bourne and others having taught in the district for several years. Having the four educators start in their new roles simultaneously has allowed them to hit the ground running.
“Josh, Sara, Mary and Elaine have all brought a great deal of passion and enthusiasm, and having them each start fresh this year has allowed them to collaborate and build their positions from the ground up with a shared vision and common goals,” Bourne High School Principal Amy Cetner said. “There’s a sense of camaraderie and support, and we’re all excited to see the great work they will do.”
Here is a closer look at each of the new library media specialists for the district:
Josh Newhouse
Newhouse, known to students as “Mr. New,” joins BPS having relocated from Tampa, Florida where he worked for 16 years as a school library media specialist.
At Bourne High, Newhouse’s role is to create and administer a space that serves as the “hub and heart of the school.” He is in the process of an entire revitalization of the school’s collection, bringing in modern and diverse authors and stories. He is also in the process of revising the space to make it a comfortable area to visit, work in, collaborate in and enjoy.
He also focuses on collaborating with teachers to infuse information literacy, technology and critical thinking into their curriculum.
“Students must be able to critically think and analyze information — not just consume it — to be successful in the modern world. My goal is to bring new opportunities, including virtual and in-person author experiences, club experiences, new ways to interact with each other in a positive way and to create a safe space where all students can feel seen and heard and recognized as who they are,” Newhouse said. “Having a full-time and enthusiastic certified librarian on board at each school will enable us to make the library more than a room, but a home for learning, literacy, thinking and being seen.”
Newhouse said he has always loved working with kids, reading and technology, and being a school librarian allows him to combine each into a single profession.
Principal Cetner said she has seen the BHS library transform under Newhouse’s direction.
“It’s not your traditional school library, where students enjoy a quiet place to come check out books,” Cetner said. “Students have come to view it as a center for learning and activity, where they can collaborate and explore ideas and use it as an extension of their classroom instruction. Mr. Newhouse’s passion for reading is so clear, and he passes that love onto the students.”
Cetner said that having dedicated librarians at both the high school and middle school has only increased the focus of literacy instruction across the two schools, compared to when they shared one position. She points to Newhouse’s librarian Instagram page (@bournehslibrary) along with that of Riggle’s Bourne Middle School library page (@bournemslibrary), and how the pages promote reading, engage with students in news ways and highlight different events and activities at the school.
Sara Riggle
Riggle has been with Bourne Public Schools since 2013, all of which has been with Bourne Middle School. She previously served as an English teacher.
In her current role, she seeks to prepare students for high school in terms of writing, preparing for research and digital citizenship, as well as promote a love of reading and turn the library into a hub of activity for the school.
“I want the library to be the place where students want to be,” she said.
Riggle has always had a passion for books and getting students to enjoy reading.
“As both an English teacher and mother, I am always buying books that I feel will grab my students’ and children’s attention,” she said. “When the previous librarian in the district announced that she was retiring, I enrolled at Simmons University and started earning my license to be a school librarian. I’ve always felt so comfortable here, both as a teacher and now as a librarian. I worked in sixth grade and have some fabulous colleagues, and gained so much knowledge from them. I’m also very fortunate to have a very supportive principal and curriculum director, especially in my current role as librarian.”
Mary Weatherby
Weatherby taught fifth grade last year at Bourne Intermediate School, and worked as a substitute teacher in the district for several years. Previously she was a part-time kindergarten paraprofessional and administrative assistant in the district.
She made the move to teaching full-time after 28 years as a writer and editor for newspapers and magazines.
Weatherby works with students in grades 3-5, which she described as an incredible age for young readers.
“They’re becoming experts at comprehension, developing their tastes in literature and discovering their favorite genres. They are also starting to form opinions of the world, which is why media literacy and acquiring research skills is so important,” she said. “My background in the media and as an editor and writing coach for reporters helps me bring a lot in that area to this position.”
Weatherby said she has been reading (and writing) for as long as she can remember.
“My childhood friends say they were embarrassed at how many books I would check out from our public library and hated having to walk home with me and share the load!” she said. “My mother was a teacher, and a love of books and a value of literacy were always major factors in our home.”
Weatherby considers the Bourne Public Schools to be a real home, having two children who graduated from Bourne High School.
“Their personal and career successes are due in part to the education they received here, and I’m thrilled that the district has brought back these library media specialist positions to our schools,” she said.
Elaine Griffith
Griffith is new to the Bourne Public Schools this year, having previously taught technology and literacy at Monomoy, Dennis-Yarmouth and Plymouth Public Schools. This is her fifth year as a librarian, but she has been teaching for approximately 20 years.
Her role at Bournedale Elementary School is to introduce books to the youngest students in the district, as well as share a love of reading and stories with them and teach early research skills. She also supports the ARC reading program at the school by supplementing with books from the library.
“I do read-alouds and teach library skills, research skills and promote reading. My goals for this year are to make the library a warm and exciting place to come, and to guide students in selecting ‘just right’ books as well as introducing them to new and different genres,” she said. “Another goal is to introduce early research skills. I really want the library to be the heart of the school!”
Griffith is certified in Elementary Education, High School Mathematics, Technology and Library Science. She started teaching technology 20 years ago and transitioned to library media as schools evolved over time and began combining the two roles of a technology teacher and a librarian.
“I love to read and wanted to share my passion for books to my students. I wanted a change from teaching technology, and came upon this new position at BES,” she said. “The Bourne Public Schools is a very special school district. From my first day here, I felt welcomed and appreciated. BPS includes everyone and the staff welcomes all people into the district with a warm feeling. They are all willing to help one another out and offer kindness. It feels so good to be in a school district that supports and acknowledges your hard work.”
BES Principal Elizabeth Carpentino said having a full-time library media specialist has been a tremendous addition this school year.
“[Elaine] has worked to create more of a love of learning for our youngest students,” Principal Carpentino said. “This position allows us to help lay the foundation for career readiness skills that fit into our vision of a graduate, including independent research skills, learning to read in preparation for reading to learn, and creating collaborative work opportunities while expanding student’s knowledge base and love of accessing information.”
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