March 2024
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 By this time of year, schools and districts have identified their teachers of the year. School librarians are eligible to participate in this recognition program.
"All Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 classroom teachers in state-accredited schools are eligible for nomination. It is important that every teacher is given the opportunity to participate in this recognition process. No minimum years of teaching experience are required to be qualified for Oklahoma Teacher of the Year." (source)
To be eligible for State Teacher of the Year, an educator must be certified and must have been the district teacher of the year. Since school districts have local control in how to determine their teacher of the year, school librarians may need to advocate for themselves. School librarians sometimes refer to themselves as teacher librarians, and their classroom is the library.
With this award, Oklahoma honors the Native American leader Sequoyah for his unique achievement in creating the Cherokee syllabary. Sequoyah chose eighty-five symbols to represent all spoken sounds of the Cherokee language. In so doing, he created a way to preserve his people's language and culture.
The 2025 Masterlists are now available along with promotional materials.
For the Donna Norvell Award, students in kindergarten through 2nd grade must read or listen to 3 or more titles to vote.
 For the children's Sequoyah Award, students in grades 3-5 must read or listen to 3 or more titles to vote.
 For the intermediate Sequoyah Award, students in grades 6-8 must read or listen to 3 or more titles to vote.
 For the high school Sequoyah Award, students in grades 9-12 must read or listen to 3 or more titles to vote.
The library of the month is Woodrow Wilson Elementary in Duncan. Principal Cassie Berthold says, "Mrs. Mindy Smith is our phenomenal librarian at Woodrow Wilson Elementary, and Callie Williams is the amazing assistant. They are true literary enthusiasts and community builders. Their passion for fostering a love of reading and learning is evident in the diverse array of activities offered, from engaging book clubs to the delightful origami club. The library stands as a haven for all, boasting a rich collection that caters not only to avid readers but also to non-English speaking families, ensuring a welcoming and inclusive environment. The addition of author visits further enhances our students’ literacy experiences, making our library a hub of inspiration and connection for everyone in our school."
The library at Woodrow Wilson Elementary has worked hard to build a collection of books that is representative of their student body. They have added books written in Tagalog (or set in the Filipino culture), Spanish books, and books featuring Muslim/Islamic characters. While this is an ongoing process, they are making good headway and doing so with input from their students.
Mindy Smith has been a certified LMS since 2010 and has been with Duncan since 2019. This year, she also assumed the role of District Library Coordinator. Her assistant Callie Williams has been with the library since 2018 and is an integral part of any and all success that they have.
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 The library has a 5th grade book club that is in its second year. They have had great turnout and will be reading an additional book this year. They read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and will next read Wild Robot. They also had an origami club/group coming to the library during their recess time during the four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
 The library has participated for many years in the Redbud Read Aloud Award and the Sequoyah Award with increased participation each year. All of the 1st and 2nd grade students participate in the Redbud. They learn a lot about voting and have watched the live reveal. With Sequoyah, students watch book trailers, and voting is on the honor system. All voters get a certificate at the awards assembly.
 The library also chooses a Student of the Month who is featured on their bulletin board, and that student has the opportunity to come and help decorate the library, change out displays, and complete any other tasks we need help with.
 The library has hosted author visits from Mark Woommovovah, a local who is also the Chairman of the Comanche Nation, Tammi Sauer, and most recently Eileen Hobbs. The students get very excited for an author visit, and it is a great learning experience for them. The library has participated in their school's PBIS program with dozens of students choosing to come to the library and play games as their reward.
 Here are a few quotes from a teacher and two students who enjoy their time in the Woodrow Wilson Elementary library.
- "The Woodrow Wilson library staff always keep reading interesting for my class. They take the time to learn the interests of the individual students and then do research to find related books, videos, and other materials to keep them exploring. The kids are always excited to go to the library to see what’s new, participate in collaborative activities, and find new directions for their curiosity to go." - James Funkhouser, 2nd Grade Teacher
- "I like getting to do research on our Chromebooks, and I like how the librarians answer all of our questions. I am glad the library doesn't have to be quiet all the time, and we get to have discussions." -5th Grade Student
- "I like how many graphic novels we have. I am glad we get to learn about things like Martin Luther King Jr." -3rd Grade Student
- "I love all of the books and when Mrs. Smith reads to us. I love how we learn." -1st Grade Student
Note: All students have signed forms from their parents/guardians for photo release.
As a reminder, nominations are closed for library of the month. They will re-open in August 2024.
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