Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/969549
use databases with accurate, up-to-date information for research projects. "I see myself as a bridge builder who can help teachers with all the little things th ey don't have tim e to do," explains Jennifer Zimny, a teacher librarian at Ponderosa High School in Shingle Springs and member of the El Dorado Union High School District Faculty Association. "We have a very specialized role in schools and are here to support every teacher and classroom. We have a great deal to offer." Britta Fletcher, an English and f loral design teacher at the school, recently collaborated with Zimny on a Day of the Dead project that was extremely popular with students. Students made skull deco- rations for the Mexican holiday and wrote cards to remember special people in their lives who were no longer living, placing them on an altar decorated, of course, with flowers. " She had great ideas about how to impl em ent ar t and a t e chnical c om- p on ent. S h e p oint ed m e in th e ri g ht direction with books and databases," says Fletcher. "It was very helpful." Virginia Hamilton, a teacher librarian at Union Mine High School in El Dorado, often attends her school's department meetings so she can explain to teachers how she can assist them. "It helps to promote ourselves," says Hamilton. "By doing so, teachers find out we are very supportive of what they do." 36 cta.org Feature Fresno High School's Sue Navarro says students are now eager to come into the campus library when it opens in the morning. SUE NAVARRO, Fresno High School, Fresno Teachers Association Among the library 's wide array of programs and services that Sue Navarro manages are e-books that students access from the Fresno Unified site or the county library system, and can read on their own devices. She also manages their access to the library webpage for research and resources. The teacher librarian hosts many activities, including: • A book club that meets in the library for lunch. • Banned Books Week in September. • Cocoa Fridays with hot chocolate, puzzles and games before school. • A 12-hour freshman "Read-A-Thon" in November. • Book fairs, mobile book carts, and free book giveaways for home libraries. • A Maker Fair where students show what they have made and share what they have learned. • Shakespeare's Trash Talk 'N Throwdown, a celebration of the Bard's birthday for ninth-graders. • Hour of Code, an introduction to computer science. Navarro has created thought-provoking exhibits in the library, including " The Power of Influence," examining the influence of media on public opinion, and " The Courage to Remember," about the Holocaust. A decade ago, when she began her job, she wondered why the library was usually empty. Now, when the library opens its doors at 7:15 a.m., students are waiting to enter. "We completely changed," says Navarro. "I call this the happiest place on campus and the heart of the school. I love being a part of it." " I call this the happiest place on campus and the heart of the school. I love being a part of it." — Sue Navarro, Fresno Teachers Association