Author: F. Policarpo

Wendy DeGroat is the librarian for Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School (MLWGS), where she also serves as a mindfulness instructor and member of the school leadership team. Wendy has been integrating mindfulness in the library for over seven years and has a certification in Koru Mindfulness. She enjoys teaching students how to take their research skills to the next level so they can move confidently and effectively from wonder and questions to analysis, reflection, and action. She has authored articles for School Library Connection, Knowledge Quest, EBSCOpost, and other publications, co-edited an issue of Knowledge Quest, taught webinars, and presented at regional, state, and national library conferences about topics such as mindfulness in libraries, news literacy, and raising cultural awareness through contemporary poetry. In the spring of 2021, she brought One Small Step to MLWGS, a program from StoryCorps that brings people with different political perspectives together to talk about the values and experiences that inform their political beliefs, making MLWGS one of the first high schools in the nation to bring One Small Step to students.

Mona Kerby, PhD, is a professor at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD, where she coordinates the School Librarianship program. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Spanish at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, two masters’ degrees, and her PhD in Library Science from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. She served as the librarian at Little Elementary School in Arlington, Texas. Her most recently published book, An Introduction to Collection Development for School Librarians, 2nd ed., is published by ALA/AASL. She holds McDaniel’s Bowlsbey Endowed Chair and has received awards such as the Texas Library Association’s Siddie Joe Johnson Award for Outstanding Library Service to Children in the State of Texas, McDaniel’s Outstanding Teacher Award, and AASL’s Distinguished Service Award. In addition to writing for school librarians, she also writes for children. See monakerby.com.

Ida Mae Craddock, MEd, is the librarian at Burley Middle School in Albemarle County, VA. A graduate of Old Dominion University Darden School of Education, her research is focused around maker-education and libraries as hubs of innovation. She is also an adjunct professor of library science at Old Dominion University where she was named a Darden Fellow. Winner of the Magna Award from the National School Boards Association and Virginia’s 2019 Librarian of the Year, IdaMae also co-authors the technology column for School Library Connection.

Ouida Powe, EdS, is the Director of School Counseling for middle and high school students at the Community Lab School. Prior to accepting the post at CLS, she was a School Counselor at Burley Middle School for three years. Many years before Burley, she served as the IB Counselor and Counseling Chair at Eastside High School in Gainesville, Florida. The years between her School Counseling posts at Eastside and Burley were filled with various positions in postsecondary education. As a Higher Ed professional, Ouida invested most of her time assisting students and families with the college search, application, and matriculation processes. After years of serving in various departments, she turned her attention to training professionals in the state of Florida who serve high school students before and during the transitions associated with postsecondary study. Beyond the school halls, Ouida enjoys spending time with her family. Her other hobbies include listening to podcasts, crafting, and refinishing furniture.

Amanda Jones is the 2021 School Library Journal Co-Librarian of the Year, a 2021 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, and is the 2020 Louisiana School Librarian of the Year. She is President of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians, a 2019 AASL Social Media Superstar, the 2022-2023 AASL Chapter Assembly Secretary, and the 2023 AASL National Conference Committee Co-Chair. She earned her master’s in education administration, along with her reading specialist endorsement from Southeastern Louisiana University. Find out more about her at librarianjones.com.

Courtney Pentland, MEd, is the school librarian for North Star High School in Lincoln, NE, adjunct faculty for the University of Nebraska-Omaha Library Sciences program, and a past-president for the Nebraska School Librarians Association. She is the current president-elect for the American Association of School Librarians. She earned her master’s in secondary education and master’s endorsement in K-12 library science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. You can follow her library adventures on Twitter @livluvlibrary

Melissa Thom, MA, is a teacher librarian at Bristow Middle School in West Hartford, CT. She earned a master’s in elementary education from Northern Arizona University and a master’s in educational psychology with a concentration in gifted and talented development from the University of Connecticut. She spent twelve years teaching grades 4-6 as a classroom teacher, and five years ago, she earned her library media specialist certification from the ARCLMS program. She is active in the national school librarian community and serves as vice president of the Connecticut Association of School Librarians. Twitter and Instagram: @MsThomBookitis.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissathomjoyfullearning

Wendy DeGroat is the librarian for Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School (MLWGS), where she also serves as a mindfulness instructor and member of the school leadership team. She enjoys teaching students how to take their research skills to the next level so they can move confidently and effectively from wonder and questions to analysis, reflection, and action. She has authored articles for School Library Connection, Knowledge Quest, EBSCOpost, and other publications, co-edited an issue of Knowledge Quest, taught webinars, and presented at regional, state, and national library conferences about topics such as mindfulness in libraries, news literacy, and raising cultural awareness through contemporary poetry. In the spring of 2021, she brought One Small Step to MLWGS, a program from StoryCorps that brings people with different political perspectives together to talk about the values and experiences that inform their political beliefs, making MLWGS one of the first high schools in the nation to bring One Small Step to students.

Graphic novels are powerful! In a learning community, they can light up engagement while integrating and developing a variety of literacies—not to mention presenting a