Something for Everyone in the Media Center

The media center in the elementary building is always a popular place on campus. Kindergarten through eighth grade students visit the library weekly on a class schedule. Many frequently return at other points during the week to exchange books.

New this year is the beginning of a high school book collection. In the first weeks of the school year, Media Specialist Savannah Childress assembled a cart of books to be in the high school building, allowing students to have readily available options. 

Makerspace areas are a highlight of many school media centers that provide hands-on opportunities for creativity, crafting, and STEM learning. The Chatham Charter media center has a puzzle station and will soon have a LEGO station, a craft cart, and an area to use virtual reality (VR) headsets to take virtual tours of museums, zoos, colleges, and outer space.

Ms. Childress had listed a project on Donors Choose that was recently funded by Exponential Scholars along with thousands of other open projects requested by educators across the state. Read more about the generous funding in this News and Observer article. As a result, the media center will soon have five screen-free audio players called Tonieboxes that will allow students to listen as they follow along with physical books. The option is primarily for early elementary students and will support reading comprehension and fluency.

The campus Beta chapters are service organizations that require members to complete service hours. Several Junior Beta members volunteer in the media center before their school day begins. Senior Beta members volunteer at times during the day when they do not have high school classes.

The fall Book Fair will be held October 21-29. The annual Grandparents Day will be October 26th, and Family Day will be October 27th. Additional information will be shared with families and students closer to the event.