Author Visit: Courtney Sheinmel

Author Courtney Sheinmel

One of the most anticipated events in the school library year after year is our author visit. This year is no different! On Tuesday, February 9th at 2:15 pm, the Mepham High School chapter of the National English Honor Society will host author, Courtney Sheinmel. As always, we will have a reading from the author's latest novel and a Q&A with our students. This year we will raffle off five copies of her novel, Edgewater. Afterwards, there will be an opportunity to have your copies signed by the author and photo taken. 

A little about the author: 

Courtney Sheinmel is the author of My So-Called Family, Positively,Sincerely, All the Things You Are, and the Stella Batts series for young readers. Her books have received many awards and appeared on numerous recommended lists. She lives in New York City.

Courtney Sheinmel's Edgewater is a gripping story about scandal and romance, shame and redemption, and how one girl must come to terms with a shocking past in order to understand who she truly is.

More about Edgewater: 

Lorrie Hollander used to be a rich girl, but now she’s lost everything because of the secrets and lies of the people around her. It’s been 12 years since Lorrie’s mother skipped town and left Lorrie in the care of her unstable aunt Gigi. Together they live in a neglected, decrepit mansion called Edgewater, the eyesore in a town of extraordinary wealth and privilege.

When Charlie, the son of an esteemed senator, takes an interest in Lorrie, her shame for her family and lifestyle runs deep. But what she doesn’t know is that Charlie’s family is hiding something, too, and that their secrets are inextricably tied. Now Lorrie must confront the truth about her family—and everything she ever thought she knew about herself.

This is an ELITE Event. Sign up here. 

Books most likely to...

Library Bulletin Board

Read Before You Watch

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These films look like they are going to be good, but I bet the books are even better. And the good news is that we have a bunch of these on the shelves right here in your Mepham Library.

Silhouette Debut in the MakerSpace

Gradually, we have been adding components to the Mepham MakerSpace. Our newest addition is the Silhouette CAMEO®, which is an electronic cutting machine. It is plugged into one of our computers via USB. It uses a small blade to cut paper, card stock, vinyl, fabric, and other material up to 12 inches wide and 10 feet long.

The Silhouette CAMEO® bundle that we have contains the following:

• 12-inch cutting mat
• Cutting blade
• Spatula
• Hook
• Scraper
• Black & White Sketch Pens
• Cross cutter

What types of projects can I do using the Silhouette CAMEO®? The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. But here are a few that we think you may like:

• Bookmarks
• Campaign pins (for class officer elections and the PIG Presidential Election) 
• Posters and flyers for various club and sporting events
• 3D prototypes (Introduction to Science Research)
• Vinyl decals 
• Stickers
• Labels
• Stencils
• Bulletin boards
• Tickets 

Have an idea? Come see Ms. Stack in the library to bring your idea to life. 

A Great Introduction... to the New Year!

Happy New Year! Welcome 2016. We are so excited to see what you have in store for us here at the W.C. Mepham High School Library. To introduce this new year, I thought we would take a look at this video on great introductions...



By now I think it comes as no surprise that I am a HUGE TedEd fan! Here is a fascinating video about the power of a great introduction brought to you by educator, Carolyn Mohr. "Never underestimate the power of an intriguing start. When analyzing the literary greats like Charles Dickens and Kurt Vonnegut, be inspired by their craft and learn how to write a tantalizing introduction and strong thesis."

Bellmore-Merrick Writers Festival

The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District will be hosting its inaugural Bellmore-Merrick Writers Festival on Friday, February 26th. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to come read original poetry, fiction, or non-fiction. Kicking off the event will be keynote speaker, Linda Opyr, Nassau County Poet Laureate. The registration deadline is Wednesday, December 23rd. Click on the video below for more information.

ELITE Event: Makey Makey

Makey Makey

Our next ELITE Event is scheduled for Monday, December 14th at 2:15 pm in the school library. This time we will be using Makey Makey, which is "an invention kit for the 21st century. Turn everyday objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet. It's a simple invention kit for beginners and experts doing art, engineering, and everything in between. The kit will include everything you see: Makey Makey, Alligator Clips, USB Cable." The format of this workshop will closely mirror the littleBits Lab we hosted earlier in the year. If you are interested in attending, please sign up here. We hope to see you there! Want to know more about Makey Makey, check out the video below.