High School Literacy Night

Last night I got the distinct pleasure to be part of a new annual event hosted at the local high school recognizing students who excel and enjoy both reading and writing.  The high school English department and school librarian put together an amazing evening filled with great activities, speakers and awards.  There was also a book fair, a gallery of literacy with displays done by students focusing on varying aspects of literacy, a book swap, refreshments, and raffles.  After the keynote speaker, the students and their families were given the chance to attend a number of different sessions about literacy, including mine about blogging.

Now, I don’t normally hang out with high school kids too much and although the parents were very interested in the blogging discussion and talk, the high school kids were more than excited to get me up-to-date with things that I’m not as familiar with, like Tumblr.  Many were appalled that I don’t use Tumblr and after explaining to me what it was all about, they even told me they’d come to the library to teach me the lingo and how to use it.  I figure, if it get’s them in the doors, let them teach me!  They were so excited to share something that they knew with me and I was excited because they were excited.

It was also great to see so many of the kids that I’ve worked with over the past six years of being in this community.  It was great to catch up with so many of them as they get too busy to stop and say hello even though they promise over and over again that they will.  Overall, it was a great event and I’m excited that the high school is really putting an emphasis on reading and writing, when so much is on math and science.  Don’t get me wrong, those are important too, but it’s great to see kids get excited telling their friends that they have to read The Fault in Our Stars or the newest Sarah Dessen book or whatever it is they’re excited about.