Picture a school library. About a dozen wide-eyed kids are gathered in a circle. They are listening to their librarian read aloud. That is how school librarian Chris Stegall spent her morning last Friday at Big Lake Elementary School. Then came a big surprise.
Superintendent Randy Trani and Principal Chrissy Lovelace came into the library. They told Stegall that she is the Mat-Su Borough School District Employee of the Month.
The honor recognizes a summer of behind-the-scenes work. A lot of work. Trani and Lovelace describe the work as beyond the call of duty.
Larson and Meadow Lakes Elementary Schools closed last Spring. The library collection from Larson needed a new home.
Stegall had worked at Larson Elementary. She knew the library collection. She had helped curate it. She was happy to have it moved to Big Lake Elementary. The collection had a place to land. All 16,000 books.
She incorporated those books into the Big Lake School library during the summer. It meant overhauling the library. It was steady work. She spent nearly every day shelving books. Some of those days ran long. She said Levi Fischer helped her reassemble the shelving.
The timing worked out in another way too. Some Meadow Lakes Elementary students now go to Big Lake Elementary. The new collection arrived just as the school population grew.
Stegall says the collection at Big Lake had become something of an archive. It was full of history but outdated. She says the new collection is different. It supports the curriculum, and it supports the current interests of the students.
Stegall has been with the district since 2006. She started as a teacher in second grade at Finger Lake Elementary. She later moved into library work. She says that move felt like finding her forever home.
She has run the libraries at Finger Lake, Knik, and Larson Elementary Schools. Now she is at Big Lake Elementary.
The best part of the job for Stegall is getting to work with both students and staff. She says nothing beats connecting kids with books.
Principal Lovelace has high praise for Stegall. Lovelace says she transformed the library into a place where kids love to read and learn. She brings in STEM activities. She gets students excited about books, writing, and authors.
In Lovelace’s words: “She is most deserving of the award. She is more than a school librarian. She is a champion of literacy.”
This article is based on reporting by Community Relations Coordinator of the Mat-Su Borough School District Jeremiah Bartz. The complete story is available on matsuk12.us.
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Image credit: Mat Su Borough School District.