Burnette Elementary School Media Specialist Traci Costilow has been named Gwinnett County Public Schools 2020 Library Media Specialist of the Year. The award honors a K-12 library media specialist whose services have resulted in exemplary library media programs.
In nominating Costilow for the award, Kim Reed, principal of Burnette Elementary said she “ensures that the media program provides relative learning opportunities in the areas of research, digital learning, and independent reading. She also has aligned the media center program with the school’s mission to teach students at high levels, engage them in critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative communication to reach their highest potential.”
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A unique addition to Costilow’s focus on encouraging students to pursue a passion for reading, is the “Book Talk Tuesdays” segment, which airs on Burnette Elementary’s morning news show. Another way she engages students is a program organized to motivate them and to increase their stamina as readers. Students are rewarded for their participation by choosing from her “Book Wagon” as well as selecting a free book to add to their home library from the GCPS Book Mobile each spring.
Costilow also infuses technology into instruction through her video conferencing system. She shows students how technology can bring the world to their school by virtually visiting places outside the school. Students have been to the National World War II Museum, met popular children’s authors, and participated in the Global Read Aloud with schools in Maryland and Michigan in within the walls of Burnette Elementary.
Costilow’s leadership helped earn Burnette Elementary’s media program recognition as the Georgia Library Media Association’s Exceptional Library Media Program in 2019. She will now go on to compete for the Metro Area Library Media Specialist of the Year award sponsored by the GLMA.
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