The library staff recently honored our senior class with Senior Starbucks days. For three mornings from 7:45 to 10:45 am, we served the seniors Starbucks coffee, hot chocolate or tea and freshly baked muffins as our way of saluting their hard work and accomplishments. Guys, you've been a great class to work with and we'll miss you next year. Congratuations and good luck in all your future endeavors!
Mrs. Presley used her talents to create a commemorative poster for the Class of 2008. A large poster is on display in the library foyer (visible in the above photo) and mini-posters were available to seniors when they came to the library for coffee.
Respect
Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
and the Memphis sanitation workers' strike
after 40 years
(April 1968-April 2008)
Please take a moment to look at our display in the library foyer of books and photographs about the Memphis sanitation workers' strike and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The sanitation workers' message, illustrated by their "I am a man" signs, speaks eloquently of the human need for dignity and respect.
You might also be interested in reading Hampton Sides' (MUS class of 1980) memories & perspective of these events in the latest issue of Memphis magazine. Here's a link to the article, titled "The Strike Zone": http://www.memphismagazine.com/gyrobase/Magazine/Content?oid=oid%3A41290
Other items on display include:
Going down Jericho Road by Michael K. Honey, At the River I Stand by Joan Beifuss, I May Not Get There With You by Michael Eric Dyson, and Pictures Tell the Story by Ernest C. Withers.
We celebrated Read Across America this year on February 29 with a visit from Gordon Korman, author of numerous young adult favorites such as Son of the Mob, Born to Rock, Jake Reinvented and Schooled. Mr. Korman was an entertaining and inspiring speaker at the lower school assembly. He also conducted a creative writing session with Mrs. Crippen's 4th period English class, shared lunch and conversation with lower school book group members, and autographed students' personal copies of his books. Students from all grades feasted on approximately 600 cookies (generously provided by our library volunteer moms) while visiting with Mr. Korman during the book signing in the library. We all had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Korman's visit.
Mr. Korman discusses creative writing with Mrs. Crippen's class:
Check out the Library Events & Pictures page of the blog for more pictures.
Mrs. Hopper has her book signed and confirms the fact that adults enjoy Mr. Korman's work, too!
by John Farndon is an “encyclopedia of the world's best-kept secrets.” (031.02 F235d)
The knowledgebook: everything you need to know to get by in the 21st Century by The National Geographic Society “distills thousands of years of humankinds most significant ideas and achievements, explains how they are linked and why they are important, and packs everything into a single, irresistibly readable volume.” (Ref 031 K73)
The book of general ignorance by John Lloyd is a British best-seller revealing “all of the hugely entertaining misconceptions, mistakes, and misunderstandings in common knowledge.” (031.02 L793b)
Take me to your leader by Ian Harrison includes “Weird facts, bizarre stories, and life's oddities.” (031.02 H319t)
The sports book: the games, the rules, the tactics, the techniques by David Summers is packed with all kinds of information about more than 200 different sports. (796.02 S764s) By this way, this is probably the only book you’ll ever see that’s covered in Astroturf!
The worst of sports: chumps, cheats, and chokers from the games we love by Jesse Lamovsk is a “hilarious and informative look at the lowest moments, lousiest teams, and least impressive personnel in the history of American sports.” (796.0207 L236w)
Schott’s miscellany by Ben Schott is “a new approach to the yearly almanac offering an entertaining and informative selection of the year's major events.” (031.02 S375S 2008)
Cool stuff and how it works and Cool stuff 2.0 by Chris Woodford explain cutting-edge technology with incredible detailed images. (600 C774)
“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.” -- Prime Minister WINSTON CHURCHILL, speech at Harrow School, Harrow, England, October 29, 1941.—Winston S. Churchill: His Complete Speeches, 1897–1963, ed. Robert Rhodes James, vol. 6, p. 6499 (1974).
Here are some materials you’ll find on display in the library reflecting this month’s theme of perseverance:
“To Harry James Potter, … I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill.” (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, p. 126) Harry not only perseveres in Quidditch, but in overpowering evil forces in the world. Many heroes in fantasy literature rely on perseverance to succeed in their noble quests. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series is another great example of this literary theme.
What is the What: the autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave Eggers.
This novel is based on the life of one of the “Lost Boys” of
The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Speech that Inspired a Nation by Drew Hanson. Dr. King is a shining example of the perseverance necessary to achieve social change.
Not as well known to us as Dr. King was William Wilberforce. His passion and perseverance led to the passing of the law to end the British slave trade in the late 18th Century. His story is dramatized in the movie Amazing Grace.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is a classic study of perseverance in the character of the old man.
Unstoppable: 45 Powerful Stories of Perseverance and Triumph from People Just Like You by Cynthia Kersey.
Exams are now over! We hope you find the time to read something that you really enjoy over the holidays. Best wishes for a fun and relaxing holiday break!
We've added lots of books related to sports this fall and many are currently on display near the magazines. You'll find fiction and non-fiction on sports ranging from football, basketball, and soccer to wrestling, lacrosse, and Nascar.
Now that basketball season is in full swing, take a look at the great photos and stories by some of SI's best writers in The Basketball Book, just published by Sports Illustrated in October.
Altruism: Sources from the Hyde Library
Starting Points for Discussion:
Children’s Book: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (can a person give too much?)
Movie: Pay It Forward (could this idea ever really work?)
Book: Ordinary Grace: Lessons from Those Who Help Others in
Articles for Further Reflection:
“The $91 Billion Conversation” (interview with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett) in Fortune:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=18637389&site=ehost-live. Gates and Buffett on economics and their decisions to give their fortunes to charity.
“Rats & Ratatouille: Eating and Altruism” can be found in our Today’s Science database at http://www.2facts.com/TSOF/temp/45563temps1500114.asp. Rats who have been helped are more likely to help another rat.
“If It Feels Good to Be Good, It Might Be Only Natural,”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/27/AR2007052701056.html. This article by Shankar Vedantam investigates “whether the brain has a built-in moral compass.”
From a Literary Perspective:
Two short stories by Eudora Welty, both published in the same collection, A Curtain of Green, show a sharp contrast in the way some people look at helping others. In “A Visit of Charity,” a 14-year-old girl visits a nursing home. In “A Worn Path,” an aging grandmother walks for miles to get medicine for her chronically ill grandson. But each story features a completely different set of motives. Read the stories, available in the Hyde Library, and see what you think.
Books on display this month in the Hyde Library:
Bennet, William J. The Book of Virtues: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories.
Canfield, Jack. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: 101 Stories of Life, Love and Learning.
Clinton, Bill. Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World
Jarvis, F. Washington. With Love and Prayers: A Headmaster Speaks to the Next Generation.
McCain, John. Character is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember.
Wood, John. Leaving Microsoft to Change the World: An Entrepreneur’s Odyssey to Educate the World’s Children.
You might also be interested in this website with all kinds of information about Altuism:
Check out our Halloween display for creepy short stories and novels...
Lloyd is ready:
