Woodstock MS Librari
Woodstock MS Librarian Named CCSD 2015 Media Specialist of the Year
Woodstock MS Media Specialist Wendy Cope is always on the move, whether she is searching for the perfect classroom teacher resource, exploring new technology for the media center or matching up a student with the perfect novel.
She quietly works her way around bookshelves and computers in the media center and throughout Woodstock Middle School every day, inspiring awe and appreciation from students, parents and her peers, as well as her family.
"She never stops, she is always on the go-- she's like a ninja librarian," said Haley Cope, Ms. Cope's oldest daughter, who is junior at River Ridge HS. "She's my role model."
Ms. Cope's hard work (and ninja skills) were recognized Tuesday by Cherokee County School Superintendent Dr. Frank R. Petruzielo, as he looked around the Woodstock MS media center on Tuesday at a group of surprised teachers and students and announced that Ms. Cope had been selected as the 2015 CCSD Media Specialist of the Year.
"This is a place where kids want to be," he said. "Where inquiry, research, hard work -- and some fun-- occur on a daily basis. Ms. Cope is clearly all about relationships, and she builds relationships with students to keep you in an active learning mode all the time."
Ms. Cope was a classroom teacher for 19 years before becoming a media specialist, and she takes pride in being able to anticipate teachers' needs. She is also well-known as the "go to" person for technology questions at the school. Ms. Cope holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from University of Georgia, as well as a Master of Education degree from UGA, and a specialist degree in Library Media and Information Technology from University of West Georgia. She taught previously at Woodstock MS and River Ridge HS, and also served as an adjunct professor at Kennesaw State University. She and her husband Jim have two daughters, Haley and Tess (who attends Woodstock MS but missed the surprise announcement due to a band performance).
In her application, Ms. Cope stressed that she sees herself as "another teacher in the classroom," an asset and a resource for her peers. She has won multiple awards and grants to foster collaboration with teachers, including an IMPACT grant last year from the Cherokee County Education Foundation.
“Our Woodstock Middle School library has at its heart the spirit of inquiry, of exploring new avenues of interest. As a librarian, my job is to curate—not just my collection, but relationships,” said Ms. Cope in her application. “By knowing my students, our curriculum and my teachers, I can anticipate our needs and facilitate the tasks at hand. Our library is a place of YES.”
Eighth-grade English teacher Rosa Frederick said Ms. Cope has a gift for matching kids to books and leading reluctant readers to the well. “These students think they hate to read. Wendy happily pulls books from the stacks; she knows books and she knows kids. The kids trust her judgment because she has never steered them wrong on a book. My class of struggling readers is my most successful class of readers now.”
2015 Innovation Zone Media Specialists of the Year
Cherokee Zone: Stephanie Patterson of Teasley MS
Creekview Zone: Anne Nechvatal of Ball Ground ES STEM Academy
Etowah Zone: Denise Lewis of Etowah HS
River Ridge Zone: Jacquie Zaski of Arnold Mill ES
Sequoyah Zone: Jennifer Lewis of Indian Knoll ES
an Named CCSD 2015 Media Specialist of the Year
Woodstock MS Media Specialist Wendy Cope is always on the move, whether she is searching for the perfect classroom teacher resource, exploring new technology for the media center or matching up a student with the perfect novel.
She quietly works her way around bookshelves and computers in the media center and throughout Woodstock Middle School every day, inspiring awe and appreciation from students, parents and her peers, as well as her family.
“She never stops, she is always on the go– she’s like a ninja librarian,” said Haley Cope, Ms. Cope’s oldest daughter, who is junior at River Ridge HS. “She’s my role model.”
Ms. Cope’s hard work (and ninja skills) were recognized Tuesday by Cherokee County School Superintendent Dr. Frank R. Petruzielo, as he looked around the Woodstock MS media center on Tuesday at a group of surprised teachers and students and announced that Ms. Cope had been selected as the 2015 CCSD Media Specialist of the Year.
“This is a place where kids want to be,” he said. “Where inquiry, research, hard work — and some fun– occur on a daily basis. Ms. Cope is clearly all about relationships, and she builds relationships with students to keep you in an active learning mode all the time.”
Ms. Cope was a classroom teacher for 19 years before becoming a media specialist, and she takes pride in being able to anticipate teachers’ needs. She is also well-known as the “go to” person for technology questions at the school. Ms. Cope holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from University of Georgia, as well as a Master of Education degree from UGA, and a specialist degree in Library Media and Information Technology from University of West Georgia. She taught previously at Woodstock MS and River Ridge HS, and also served as an adjunct professor at Kennesaw State University. She and her husband Jim have two daughters, Haley and Tess (who attends Woodstock MS but missed the surprise announcement due to a band performance).
In her application, Ms. Cope stressed that she sees herself as “another teacher in the classroom,” an asset and a resource for her peers. She has won multiple awards and grants to foster collaboration with teachers, including an IMPACT grant last year from the Cherokee County Education Foundation.
“Our Woodstock Middle School library has at its heart the spirit of inquiry, of exploring new avenues of interest. As a librarian, my job is to curate—not just my collection, but relationships,” said Ms. Cope in her application. “By knowing my students, our curriculum and my teachers, I can anticipate our needs and facilitate the tasks at hand. Our library is a place of YES.”
Eighth-grade English teacher Rosa Frederick said Ms. Cope has a gift for matching kids to books and leading reluctant readers to the well. “These students think they hate to read. Wendy happily pulls books from the stacks; she knows books and she knows kids. The kids trust her judgment because she has never steered them wrong on a book. My class of struggling readers is my most successful class of readers now.”
2015 Innovation Zone Media Specialists of the Year
Cherokee Zone: Stephanie Patterson of Teasley MS
Creekview Zone: Anne Nechvatal of Ball Ground ES STEM Academy
Etowah Zone: Denise Lewis of Etowah HS
River Ridge Zone: Jacquie Zaski of Arnold Mill ES
Sequoyah Zone: Jennifer Lewis of Indian Knoll ES