While we didn't reach our goal of 25 books with the first project, I'm pleased with the results. Pleased but not satisfied ;) While Arlington Community High school was majority Black, our next school is majority Latino. Read on to learn more about the school from its librarian, Helen of Helen's Book Blog!
San Marcos High School
Santa Barbara, CA
Student Population: 1900 (43% white, 51% Latino, 4% African-American; 2% Asian American)
San Marcos High School has about 75 teachers and we're on a modified 4x4 block, which means we have 4 terms with 4 90-minute periods a day. We're very strong in the visual and performing arts, have a Health Academy (training future nurses who graduate from high school as CNAs), and a wide variety of sports for our students. This past year we ranked number one academically in Southern California for academic GPA for our sports teams with 6 teams ranking first place. Our students perform 60 hours of community service to graduate.
However, there is definitely an achievement gap at our school with Latino students scoring lower than our white students on standardized tests. Our Latino population are mostly first generation and many are in households with guardians who have limited English. As the Teacher Librarian I am working to get more Latino literature into our collection, especially novels that don't represent Latinos as gang members, pregnant teens, and drop outs. It feels like that is a tough assignment these days.
I decided this time to not create a whislist because that seemed to cause some confusion. Instead, I'll list the titles and address, you guys can order from wherever. More books will be added to reach 25 as Helen sends me titles. We are trying to focus on YA books with diverse main characters, especially those with Latino main characters. Learn more about the why of the project here
1. Jazz in Love by Neesha Meminger (Whoo-hoo thank you Edi!)
2. Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins (Thank you so much Nina!)
3. Carmen: an urban adaptation of the opera by Walter Dean Myers (Yay, thanks Trish!)
4. Dead is not an Option by Marlene Perez (thank you Nina!)
·5. Fish out of Agua by Michele Carlo (Whoo hoo, thanks Trish!)
6.You Don’t have a Clue: Latino Mysteries for Teens by Sarah Cortez (Thank you Mesending!)
7. A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott (Thank you Zetta!)
8. Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles (not out until August so an ARC would be awesome)
9. Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall (Not out until October so an ARC would be awesome)
10. Huntress by Malinda Lo (Thank you Trish!)
11. Kira, Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (Yay, thank you Kimberly!)
12. Luminous by Dawn Metcalf (releases in July but an ARC would be greatly appreciated!)
13. Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers (Thank you Kimberly!)
Please mail the books to
San Marcos High School c/o Helen Murdoch
4750 Hollister Ave
Santa Barbara, CA 93110
Dates: May 13, 2011-July 14, 2011 (officially ends. Email myself or Helen if you want to send books after that date).
Remember to comment/email me if you buy a book (or two or three)! Thank you in advance =D Giveaway coming soon for all those who have participated in part 1 or participating now, it means so much!!
