Media Specialists Receive Robbie Van Pelt Memorial Grants
Beth Mitchell from Oakview Elementary and Gaelyn Jenkins from Riverside Middle have been selected recipients of the 2015 Robbie Van Pelt Memorial grant. This grant was named in memory of Robbie Van Pelt, Greenville County Coordinator of Media Services from 1999-2005. This serves to acknowledge her leadership, dedication and enthusiasm for creating world-class media centers in Greenville County Schools that will impact the lives of Greenville school children for years to come. Her work in administering a $1.5 million district allocation to update the book collections of all Greenville County school libraries brought national recognition to our district.
The purpose of this grant is to promote exemplary learning activities in media centers. Projects that increase skills in research, literacy, critical thinking, technology, locating and accessing information, creative use of information, or that promote social responsibility or reading for pleasure are all encouraged. The project should support the goals of the school’s portfolio and be aligned with the Education Plan for Greenville County Schools.
Monarch Elementary (2015-16) - Beth Mitchell
Students will respond to visual and writing prompts using the “Write About This App.” The iPad app will be used in conjunction with artifact and document analysis as well as for figurative language and poetry lessons. Final products will be displayed online for public access.
Riverside Middle School- Gaelyn Jenkins
The Riverside Middle makerspace, LevelUP@RMS, is open to all students and teachers and encourages innovation, exploration, and literacy of all kinds. While focused on providing opportunities for students to use tools and materials they may not otherwise have access to, the makerspace is also going to be used by teachers to expand their ability to provide real-world connections for their students with a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) influence, as when the library collaborated with a 7th grade science teacher to have students develop a video game that demonstrated their knowledge of the digestive system and allowed them to share their product with the world.
A special thanks goes to the grant committee, Deanna McCarrell (librarian, Travelers Rest High School), Susan Dicey (Librarian, Hillcrest Middle School), and Pam Maggio (librarian, Rudolph Gordon Elementary School).