Monday, February 24, 2014

Pow!

PowToon
PowToon is a FREE online presentation software tool that allows you to create free, cool, and awesome animated videos as an alternative to PowerPoint, Prezi and PhotoStory. You can sign up by creating a username and password or via Facebook. Please be aware that it is still in beta form.

"Keeping your students engaged is hard. PowToon generates excitement and motivation in any classroom - no matter the age of the student." This is true. Below is a student-created PowToon (which was uploaded to YouTube) for our upcoming Chop Your Locks for Charity fundraiser. It was designed by Amanda Bowrosen Patrick Leonard, and Josh Gautman in Ms. Dennis' Participation in Government class. Check it out; I think you'll be impressed, then create one for yourself!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

New Graphic Novels


 
We now have over 80 graphic novels in your school library. 

Monday, February 3, 2014

Not-even-kind-of-almost-famous-author!

Photos by James Shaw
RESCHEDULED: TUESDAY, MARCH 11th!

Kara Taylor – the self-proclaimed, not-even-kind-of-almost-famous-author – will be visiting Mepham High School on Tuesday, February 11th at 2:15 p.m. in the school library. There will be a reading from her novel, a Q&A period, a book raffle (6 paperback copies of Prep School Confidential) and a book signing and photo op session.

This event is sponsored by the National English Honor Society and is a sanctioned ELITE event. All students are welcome to attend.

About the Author
"Kara has a BA in English/Secondary Education from Stony Brook University. She loves New Girl, sushi, and puppets that say rude things. It’s her dream to own a bakery someday.

Kara was inspired to start writing in part by her grandmother giving her Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and in part by her father’s bizarre antics, such as blow-drying his car. Her father looked like Borat in the 80′s.

Kara lives on Long Island with a Chihuahua named Izzy and a kitten named Felix. Her favorite authors are Gillian Flynn, Stephanie Perkins, and Janet Evanovich. She writes full-time, both on the PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL series and for Warner Brothers Television. She is the writer and co-executive producer of The Revengers, a dramedy in development at The CW, executive produced by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack."

Kara's first novel.
Prep School Confidential
Meet Anne Dowling – a fresh, original, and funny new YA heroine whose knowing, irreverent voice will remind readers of Pretty Little Liars and Private. Anne practically runs her exclusive prep school on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she burns part of it down. Accidentally. Her lawyer father decides to send his not-quite-so-innocent only daughter to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston.  Determined to reform her bad girl ways and make it back to New York, making friends at the Wheatley School is the last thing Anne cares about. There is one girl Anne is able to stand, though—her roommate Isabella.  That is, until Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.


Anne is convinced someone knows what happened to Isabella the night she was viciously murdered—but no one is talking. That’s when Anne starts to notice how old and creepy the Wheatley School really is. When she meets Isabella’s twin brother and learns he also thinks the school might be covering up the truth about Isabella’s death, Anne can’t help it…she starts poking around.  Utilizing her lock-picking skills, unmistakable charm, and the help of a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping around in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.