In our media centers throughout the 24-25 school year, 49 certified media specialists supported the needs of the students and teachers across their campuses each day.
On a monthly basis, our media specialists came together to receive professional development, and collaborate with their colleagues to create innovative and special learning experiences for everyone on their campuses.
Media specialists were trained on updates provided by Follett, Destiny, and World Book throughout the year. Through conversation and collaboration our media specialists worked together to best support the needs of each of our varying student populations, always keeping in mind the focus of building a love for literacy, starting with even our youngest learners.
Media specialists at each school celebrate the love of reading in a variety of fashions, from a reading theme, to opportunities to earn books for the numbers of words read. Our media specialists are creative and keep students engaged in reading throughout the year.
At the end of the school year, Lake Weir Middle and Forest High Schools hosted district wide book bowl challenges. The students who participated read the books included in the Sunshine State Reader book list, that is published each year. Students worked in school teams to compete against one another, to show who knew the books the best. Winners took home the travelling trophy, that goes from winning school to winning school each year.
Along with school-based reading initiatives, Beanstack Challenges, and cultivating a culture of reading, media specialists also discuss circulation data collected throughout the school year.
Shown on the slide is a year over year comparison of circulation data for each grade band. As you can see the number of checkouts from the 2023-2024 school year to the 2024-2025 school year increased by approximately 40,000 checkouts. As we continue planning for the 2025-2026 school year, I look forward to discussing how we can continue to support reading and checkout rates at each of our schools.
I am excited for the 25-26 school year, with two new media centers, two new media specialists, and the planning for the new high school! Our media specialists play an important role on our campuses, and they continue to be thankful for the referendum dollars that support their positions as well as their space. Thank you.