Season's Greetings

All of us in the Mepham High School Library want to wish you and your family a happy, healthy, and safe holiday recess. We feel very  fortunate that we are part of such a helpful, devoted, and compassionate school community. We will see you in 2013.

Non-fiction eBooks Have Virtually Arrived!



Non-fiction eBooks

Thanks to two grants, one from the Long Island School Media Association (LISMA) and one from the Bellmore-Merrick CHSD, we were able to purchase the following Gale non-fiction eBooks to support the Common Core. These eBooks can be accessed here: http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/bell89784?db=GVRL. See Ms. Stack in the library for the password. You can also access them by going to the Mepham High School Website, clicking Library and then e-Books (non-fiction). Faculty and students have unlimited, simultaneous, no-checkout use of these eReference materials here at school and at home. The Gale Virtual Reference Library includes eBooks on the following subjects: Arts, Biographies, Business, Education, History, Law, Literature, Medicine, Nation & World, Religion and Science. The titles are listed below:

1. All Things Medieval: An Encyclopedia of the Medieval World, 1st Edition (2 Volume Set)
2. American Decades (10 Volume Set, 1900-2000)
3. American Decade: 2000-2009
4. American Law Yearbook, Edition 2011
5. The Ancient World 1st Edition (5 Volume Set)
6. CaseBase 2: Case Studies in Global Business
7. Encyclopedia of Education, 2nd Edition (8 Volume Set)
8. Encyclopedia of Religion, Edition 2 (15 Volume Set)
9. Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World 1st Edition
10. Encyclopedia of World Biography, Edition 2 (17 Volume Set and Supplement, Volumes 18-23)
11. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 4th Edition (6 Volume Set)
12. History Behind the Headlines (6 Volume Set)
13. Novels For Students (16 Volume Set, 1-16)
14. New Dictionary of the History of Ideas (6 Volume Set)
15. Scholarships, Fellowships & Loans, 29th Edition (3 Volume Set)
16. Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film (4 Volume Set)
17. UXL Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy (3 Volume Set)
18. UXL Encyclopedia of Drugs & Addictive Substances (5 Volume Set)
19. Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, 13th Edition (5 Volume Set)

We Met Our Goal!

The Scholastic Book Fair was a success! Thanks to your generosity, the "All for Books" fundraiser will be able to provide the funds needed to supply two Long Island school libraries effected by Hurricane Sandy with a shelf of brand new picture books. Didn't make it to the fair? You can still purchase books by shopping online and help to support our cause. You can browse an expanded book selection and the best part is that all orders ship FREE to the school. You can check out our Book Fair Website here.

Our Book Fair's Back and It's Better Than Ever!

The Scholastic Book Fair will be back again in the Mepham High School Library from Monday, November 26th - Wednesday, November 28th from 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. We invite you to visit our Scholastic Book Fair and experience a celebration of reading that provides families the opportunity to get involved in a universal mission: encouraging kids to read every day so they can lead better lives. "One for Books" which is now "All for Books," our annual fundraiser in conjunction with the book fair will now provide funds to help school libraries effected by Hurricane Sandy. You can check out our Book Fair Website.

We Got the Power!

Charging stations are available in the Library if you need to charge your cell phone, laptop, ipad, kindle, etc. from 7:30 am - 3:30 pm. They will remain available for as long as needed while we recover from Hurricane Sandy.  Thanks to Calhoun for the great idea! 

It Came from the Library!

This Teen Read Week™ - October 14-20, 2012, YALSA dares you to read for the fun of it! Teen Read Week is a time to celebrate reading for fun and encourage teens to take advantage of reading in all its forms —books and magazines, e-books, audiobooks and more — and become regular library users.

MHS Library Orientation 2012

Our library orientation video has been updated for the 2012-2013 school year. Check it out!



Banned Books Week: Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Freedom to Read

"Reprinted by permission of the American Library Association."

The After

Here are photos from after the library restoration project. Thanks to all who worked so hard to restore the wood in our beautiful library. After 75 years, it was very much needed.

A Day of Service

Flag, 1954 by Jasper Johns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good deeds unite us on 9/11...9/11 Day is a movement built on people remembering through positive action. For more information, click here.

Library Restoration Project

Thank you to our wonderful alumni association for their efforts on preserving the library’s beautiful woodwork. A three-week restoration began at the beginning of this summer.  According to Frank Setteducati ’70, the work focused "on water and heat damage (around windows and radiation), intensive stripping and cleaning, minimal re-staining, and finally, resealing with shellac." It looks fantastic! It should be noted that Head Custodian, Gino DiClemente brought this project to the attention of the alumni association. We appreciate the hard work of our custodial staff. We look forward to the big reveal on Sunday, September 9th at noon. 

Before

Before

Before

Your Best Back-to-School Supply is Us!

Your library has:

• 17 desktop computers
• 16 laptops
• 1 laser jet printer
• 1 color printer
• 2 flatbed scanners
• SMART Board
• microphones
• headphones
• audio speakers
• card readers
• flash drives
• textbooks
• calculators
• magazines
• periodicals
• online databases
• eBooks
• Playaways
• reference books
• non-fiction books
• fiction books
• short stories
• biographies
• autobiographies
• yearbooks
• dictionaries
• encyclopedias
• thesauruses
• scissors
• tape
• glue
• paper clips
• hole punchers
• staplers
• markers
• crayons
• colored pencils
• rulers
• compass
• protractor
• white out
• Post its
• thumb tacks
• lined paper
• graph paper
• envelopes
• index cards
• tissues

We are your best back-to-school supply.

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Welcome Class of 2016!

Welcome back students, staff, faculty and a warm Mepham welcome to the Class of 2016!  This is a reminder that your school library is now open. For all the important details, click here.

Did you know that Mepham High School is celebrating it's 75th Anniversary this year?  Well, we want to thank our awesome alumni for their generous contributions. The library got a much-needed face lift this summer... stay tuned for photos of the library restoration project! We are looking forward to a fabulous school year.

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Happy 75th Birthday Mepham High School!

Do you know what Jack Nicholson, Jane Fonda, Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby and Mepham High School have in common? You guessed it... they all turn 75 this year! We are going to be celebrating all year long! For more information, click here.  The photos below are from construction which ended in 1937.  Our amazing alumni association does a wonderful job of posting information on the Web about the history of our school and its inhabitants. A big thank you to Jerry Worthing '41, alumni webmaster, for all his hard work. For more information on our history, click here.

During construction

Aerial view

Setting the Scene for Summer Reading

My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter.  ~Thomas Helm 

We are pleased to present the W.C. Mepham Summer Reading Program. Summer should be filled with joyful times, and we hope that reading will be an important part of your summer plans. Below is a required reading list from which you can select a book.  Students who are having difficulty choosing a book should ask their teachers, a librarian, or the English Department Chair for help.

Please note, each Regents and Honors level student entering grades 9-12 is required to read one of the books on the list.  All students will be assessed on their summer reading in September.  

Students entering English 2 Honors, Senior Experience, and Advanced Placement English courses have different requirements. They will read the books that are designated for their courses.  AP and Senior Experience students will also be given a writing assignment to complete over the summer.  Enjoy the summer with a good book!

Incoming Ninth Grade (E1) - select one

Alexie, Sherman – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian 

Hoffman, Alice – Green Angel 

Lockhart, E. – The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks 

Lupica, Mike – Million-Dollar Throw 

Simpson, Joe – Touching the Void 

Smith, Betty – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Incoming Tenth Grade Honors (E2H) - required reading 

Salinger, J.D. – The Catcher in the Rye 

Incoming Tenth Grade (E2) - select one 

Green, John – Paper Towns 

Haddon, Mark – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 

Picoult, Jodi – Handle with Care 

Smithson, Ryan – Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-year-old GI 

Stein, Garth – The Art of Racing in the Rain 

Twain, Mark – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Incoming Eleventh Grade Advanced Placement (11AP) - read both 

Gladwell, Malcolm – The Tipping Point 

Hosseini, Khaled – The Kite Runner

Incoming Eleventh Grade (E3) - select one 

Anderson, Laurie Halse – Twisted 

Grisham, John – Playing for Pizza 

Larson, Erik – The Devil in the White City 

Picoult, Jodi – House Rules 

Satrapi, Marjane – Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood 

Tolkien, J.R.R. – The Hobbit

Incoming Twelfth Grade Advanced Placement (12AP) - read both

Foster, Thomas C. – How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Proulx, Annie – The Shipping News

Incoming Senior Experience - required reading 

Ferguson, Andrew – Crazy U: One Dad's Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College

Incoming Twelfth Grade (E4) - select one

Albom, Mitch – For One More Day

Boyle, T.C. – The Tortilla Curtain (National English Honor Society Scholarship Book) 

Hosseini, Khaled – A Thousand Splendid Suns 

Meyer, Stephanie – The Host 

Pausch, Randy – The Last Lecture

Vonnegut, Kurt – Cat’s Cradle

MIT App Inventor

MIT App Inventor

The computer club meets every Monday after school in the Learning Center. Right now we are creating apps for Android devices. All you need to get started with MIT App Inventor is a Google account to log in, which all Mepham students already have.

According to the MIT App Inventor homepage, "Creating an App Inventor app begins in your browser, where you design how the app will look. Then, like fitting together puzzle pieces, you set your app's behavior. All the while, through a live connection between your computer and your phone, your app appears on your phone.You can build many different types of apps with App Inventor. Often people begin by building games like MoleMash or games that let you draw funny pictures on your friend's faces. You can even make use of the phone's sensors to move a ball through a maze based on tilting the phone.But app building is not limited to simple games. You can also build apps that inform and educate. You can create a quiz app to help you and your classmates study for a test. With Android's text-to-speech capabilities, you can even have the phone ask the questions aloud. To use App Inventor, you do not need to be a professional developer. This is because instead of writing code, you visually design the way the app looks and use blocks to specify the app's behavior."

If you are interested in joining, please see Ms. Stack in the library and she'll get you started.

Arlaina Tibensky Knows a Thing or Two

Arlaina Tibensky

The National English Honor Society (NEHS) inducted 53 students on Tuesday, April 24th 2012. Our keynote speaker, Arlaina Tibensky truly connected to our students, teachers, and parents on a level I have not seen before.

She quotes the main character, Keek, in her debut novel, And Then Things Fall Apart, “This is the thing about great literature. It reads like truth and sticks to you forever and lets you know that you are not alone.” That line spoke to my heart. She posted her entire keynote address on her blog, More Than I Say Outloud.

We hope to be seeing more of you Ms. Tibensky.

Poem in Your Pocket

Celebrate national Poem In Your Pocket Day on Thursday, April 26, 2012 with Mobile Poetry!   
The idea is simple: select a poem you love during National Poetry Month then carry it with you to share with co-workers, family, and friends. It's easier than ever with Mobile Poetry. "The entire collection of over 2,500 poems on Poets.org, as well as hundreds of biographies and essays, is also available in a mobile format which provides free and direct access to poetry in the palm of a hand."

To reach the mobile site, go to www.poets.org/m. "Poems can be browsed by author, title, occasion, or form, and searched easily by keyword. Visitors can read a poem, anytime, anywhere—whether to fill a spare moment, woo a darling, toast a friend, find solace, or recite a few immortal lines—verse is now at your fingertips."

You can also share your poem selection on Twitter by using the hashtag #pocketpoem.

Happy Birthday, William Shakespeare!

Written by guest blogger, Janice Cosenza, graduate student at C.U.N.Y. Queens College 

April 23rd marks the birthday of William Shakespeare in 1564.

Here are some suggestions for how to celebrate the Bard's 448th:

• Read a Play: Shakespeare is said to have written over 39 plays which are published in more than 80 languages today.
• Write a Sonnet: A Shakespearean, or English, sonnet is 14 lines line, each line containing ten syllables and written in iambic pentameter. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets in his lifetime.
• See a performance: Shakespeare's plays are performed all over the world, but why not catch one close to home this weekend.
• Watch a movie at home: There have been over 250 movies made inspired by Shakespeare's life and works. Throw some popcorn in the microwave and check one out.
• Take a virtual tour: Many of Shakespeare's plays were performed at the Globe Theatre.  A "New Globe" Theatre was constructed in 1996.
• Have fun :Click here for some fun games and activites.

Did you know ?

Written by guest blogger, Janice Cosenza,  graduate student at C.U.N.Y. Queens College 
This week marks the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic during its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Shortly after 11:40pm on April 14, 1912, after 4 days at sea, the Titanic struck an iceberg on its starboard (right) side.  Two hours and 40 minutes later, at 2:20am on April 15, the Titanic was sunk.

Among the cargo on board were 5 Grand Pianos, 1750 pounds of ice cream, 40,000 fresh eggs, 15,000 bottles of beer and an automobile.

The RMS Titanic was equipped with a heated pool, 2 libraries, a gym, 2 barber shops and a dark room and printing press in order to publish a daily newspaper each day, but there were only enough lifeboats to accommodate half of the ship's passengers.

After the Titanic was struck, many lifeboats were lowered that were only partially filled. Almost 500 more passengers could have survived had the boats been filled to capacity.  

Over 1500 passengers and crew members perished during the sinking, including the ship's captain, Edward Smith, 80% of the male passengers, 25% of the female passengers and 9 pet dogs.  The youngest victim was 19 months old.

For further reading:
Green, Rod. Building the Titanic: an epic tale of the creation of history's most famous ocean liner.       Pleasantville, N.Y.: Reader's Digest, 2005. Print. 

Ballard, Robert D., and Michael S. Sweeney. Return to Titanic: a new look at the world's most famous lost ship. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2004.

Click here to see video

D.E.A.R.

D.E.A.R. - Drop Everything And Read Day
National D.E.A.R. Day is a special reading celebration to remind and encourage families to make reading together on a daily basis a family priority. The birthday of beloved author Beverly Cleary is the official event date, April 12^th. So... D.E.A.R.!

You Belong @ Your Library®

Today's school libraries provide a wide range of opportunities for students with diverse learning needs and interests. That means providing their school communities with tailor made collections and services for students of diverse backgrounds, language abilities and technological skills. School libraries help level the playing field by making both print and digital information affordable, available and accessible to all students. Libraries have historically served as our nation’s great equalizers of knowledge.

The heart of our school community is our school library, and the heart of the library is the people we serve. There’s something for everyone at the Mepham High School Library. The only piece missing is you! You belong @ your library. Celebrate National Library Week, April 8-14.

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.

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April is School Library Month

Ten reasons why you belong at your school library:

1. Get a global perspective
2. Expand your world online
3. Find endless opportunities
4. Research anything... well, almost anything...
5. Lose yourself in a good book
6. Explore new ideas
7. Enjoy great programs
8. Study in a quiet place...well, almost quiet
9. Feel safe
10. Hang out with friends

April is School Library Month. Get ready to celebrate!

Learn it in 5

"At Learn it in 5, you'll learn what is Web 2.0, and strategies for using Web 2.0 technology in the digital classroom - all in 5 minutes or less.

Learn it in 5 is a powerful library of how-to videos, produced by technology teachers, for the purpose of helping teachers and students create classroom strategies for today's 21st century's digital classroom. These step-by-step how-to videos walk teachers through Web 2.0 technology, demonstrating how to use Web 2.0 applications like blogs, social networks, podcasts, interactive videos, wikis, slide sharing and much more."

National STEM Video Game Challenge

Inspired by the Educate to Innovate Campaign, President Obama’s initiative to promote a renewed focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, the National STEM Video Game Challenge is a multi-year competition whose goal is to motivate interest in STEM learning among America’s youth by tapping into students’ natural passion for playing and making video games... Check out the Website for more information. http://www.stemchallenge.org/about/Default.aspx

@author

 

@author is new feature in a limited beta release on Kindle and Amazon Author Pages that connects readers with their favorite writers and their books. It's easy: Readers can ask questions directly from their Kindles, or post them to Amazon Author Pages. Anyone who has purchased items from Amazon.com can reply to an existing question or ask a new one, and all visitors to Amazon.com can read any current question or response. Some of the authors participating in the @author beta include Brad Meltzer, John Locke and Deborah Ree. For more information, click here.  

Did you watch 60 Minutes last night?

Last night on 60 Minutes, they featured a story about Khan Academy. Khan Academy is a non-profit organization founded by Sal Khan, which hosts FREE online tutoring.  According to the Website, they have "over 3,000 videos covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and 311 practice exercises," and they are on "a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace." It's like having a private tutor. The "library of videos covers K-12 math, science topics such as biology, chemistry, and physics, and even reaches into the humanities with playlists on finance and history. Each video is a digestible chunk, approximately 10 minutes long, and especially purposed for viewing on the computer." Definitely check this one out!

Destiny Quest Mobile App is Here!

With the new Destiny Quest mobile app, students and teachers can search and access library resources in a way like never before - from your iOS or Android mobile devices. This means that you can find resources you need anytime, even after the school day ends or before it begins. This new app is easy-to-use and FREE to download. It is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad with iOS 4.2 or later. Requires Android 2.1-2.37. It allows students and teachers to:

• Search for resources in your school library
• Place holds on materials and add items to My List
• Discover the top 10 most popular titles and new books in your school library
• View account information including checkouts and holds
• Submit and read ratings and reviews from other students
• Students can easily maintain lists of books they are now reading, want to read, and have read

Here is a YouTube Video that explains how to download and configure the Destiny Quest Mobile App for Andriod and iPhone Mobile Devices. Enter this URL: http://destiny.bellmore-merrick.k12.ny.us

It's Here! Follett Digital Reader Mobile App!

Finally.... It's here! I just downloaded the Follett Digital Reader Mobile App to my iPad 2! Using any Internet browser, you can go to our school's Follet Shelf and log in using the same username and password that you use to log in to the computers at school. Then, check out any one of our 16 eBook titles (more to come this summer!). After you download the Follett Digital Reader Mobile App, click on the app. It will ask for part of a URL, type in "wbb04971." Again, use the username and password that you use to log in to the school computers. Click on the app and download the book. I just checked out The Help and literally it only took seconds to download. This is super easy to use and you have instant access to your ebook.

Geek Out @ your library®

This Teen Tech Week™ (March 4–10) invites you to Geek Out @ your library! There are a lot of fantastic FREE web resources you can use right here in school:

BibMe- Works cited and bibliography pages created for you with full citations and correct formatting. Don't worry about where the comma goes ever again!

DropBox- Online file storage. Has handy apps for smartphones and tablets that mean no more hoping you remembered to email yourself the final draft of the paper that's due in about ten minutes.

Picnik- This photo editing site is free and easy to use. Graphics and photos are easily edited and enhanced on Picnik.

Zamzar- File conversion system. Turns any file into any other kind of file. A life-saver for getting around those "My file won't open on this computer!" freakouts.

Sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association.

Read Across America Day

Author Matt Blackstone Visits Mepham

Young adult author and high school English teacher, Matt Blackstone, stopped by the Mepham High School library today. He posed for this photo, standing next to a bulletin board designed in the likeness of his debut novel, A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie. He read three chapters from his book, which is about a teen with OCD and his best friend who tutors him in the art of playing it cool. He answered questions from our students and teachers. Afterwards, we raffled off five copies of A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie, and Mr. Blackstone graciously autographed the books. We also have a hard copy in the school library if anyone is interested in checking it out. Here he poses with our winners. This ELITE event was sponsored by the National English Honor Society. Mr. Blackstone's next local appearance will be at the North Bellmore Public Library, 1551 Newbridge Road, on Tuesday, March 6th, from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie

Young adult author, Matt Blackstone is scheduled to visit Mepham High School on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 2:15 p.m. in the school library. There will be a reading from his book, A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie, Q&A session, and meet and greet with students. We are raffling off 5 autographed copies of his novel. This event is sponsored by the National English Honor Society and is an ELITE event. Past authors visits have included: Selene Castrovilla, Lee Krinsky, Robin Palmer, Jen Calonita, and Patrick Jones.

Love Day!

How cute is this heart felt bookmark?

Take a look back at Valentine's Day 2011!
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iPad 2s have arrived!

The iPad just made its debut in our Freshman Seminar classes. Our students are learning many different productivity apps, including iAnnotate PDF, which has allowed the students to annotate documents used in class. Other free and purchased apps for these Classroom iPads include: Evernote, Quickoffice, Notes Plus, Shakespeare in Bits, ShowMe, Google Books, Overdrive and more. During a recent "Orientation to the iPad" lesson taught by yours truly, the librarian, we took photographs of ourselves and our peers and imported them into the app Popplet Lite to create character maps. Students can now translate the skills that they learned and create maps based on characters in books.

Coming soon... FREE Follett Digital Reader mobile app!

Soon you'll be able to enjoy your favorite Follett eBooks on your iPad® or Android 3.0 tablet. Created for use with FollettShelf™, with an interface designed specifically for a tablet experience, this new app provides quality resources to use on these devices. Coming January 2012!

Fresh Start

The library will be closed for testing from Tuesday, January 24th - Friday, January 27th. The third marking quarter starts on Thursday, January 26th. It's a fresh start!

FLASH DRIVES ON SALE

Flash drives are still on sale in the school library for $10 each! The money raised helps support the activities of the National English Honor Society. UPGRADE! These are 4GB Microcenter flash drives. Get yours while supplies last!