Author Archives: jean

NaNoWriMo ~ November is National Novel Writing Month

On your mark, get set, go!
November is your month to write a novel – “thirty days and nights of literary abandon.”

To support your literary pursuits, the library has set up a display in the library with books about creative writing and also books by published NaNoWriMo novelists.

Jean Evans has also created a NaNoWriMo Research Guide with library and Internet resources.

Family Reading Night 2012

It’s that time of year again!!!

The 7th annual IMSA Community Family Reading Night for area elementary school students and their families will be held on November 15, 2012 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Event: Family Reading Night 2012
Place: Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Date: November, 15, 2012
Time: 6 – 8 pm

This year’s theme is “The Sports of Physics,” and local athlete Kenny Battle will be making an appearance. As many as 200 children from six Aurora area grade schools and their family members are expected to attend the Family Reading Night event, which has been coordinated by the Information Resource Center and IMSA student volunteers.

During the fun-filled and educational evening, the young students and their families will watch performances by IMSA student groups, listen to storytelling by IMSA staff, design and make sports related crafts, and participate in hands-on science activities led by the Kids Institute.

There will also be student-led bilingual tours of the IMSA campus during the evening.

There are two ways to use the attached permission slip:
1. Open the file, fill in the form at the bottom, save the completed form to your desktop, and email the attached file to angie@imsa.edu:
2. Open and print the permission slip, fill it in, and return it to Angie Richardson

Please return the completed permission slip by Monday, Nov. 12th:

Photos from 2011 Family Reading Night

Election 2012: supporting an informed decision

In early October, the Information Resource Center created a display of library resources related to election topics that included: the Electoral College, electronic voting, the voting age, and the histories of past presidents. Students were encouraged to read, discuss, and debate current issues with their classmates and then vote in a student mock election that was held in the library on Friday, November 2nd.

The results are in, and the winners are …
184 Barack Obama / Joe Biden – Democratic
34 Mitt Romney / Paul Ryan – Republican
21 Jill Stein / Cheri Honkala – Green Party
12 Gary Johnson / Jim Gray – Libertarian
1 Ron Paul Write-in
1 Harry Potter / Ronald Weasley Write-in

Thank you to all who participated. We had an overwhelming 253 students vote in this year’s election! In 2008, 88 students participated.

“Plug” for the Bass Team

Do you like to catch fish or do you simply enjoy the peace, quiet, and solitude of a day at the lake? Then consider joining the IMSA Bass Team!

Science teacher, Branson Lawrence, has been coaching the Illinois High School Association “Catch & Release” IMSA Bass Team for about 5 years. Last year he was joined by Ralph Flickinger, Senior IT Support Engineer – ITS Helpdesk. A typical fishing season begins in March with practice casting, setting the hook, and catch and release at IMSA’s “No Pond.” Over the next few weeks, Branson and Ralph coordinate fishing trips to a couple of local fishing spots for about twenty IMSA students. The fishing season ends with the Sectional Tournament at Shabbona Lake in Shabbona, Illinois where approximately 20-25 Northern Illinois High School Teams compete. The first, second, and third place winners advance to the State Tournament.

The fishing tackle, lures, and reels in this exhibit are specifically for bass fishing and are on display in the IRC courtesy of Ralph Flickinger. Ralph has been fishing his whole life and collecting fish decoys since 1982.

Teen Read Week

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) announced the 2012 Teens’ Top 10 book list during Teen Read Week, October 14-20. These books can be found in the fiction section of the IRC.

“YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand and strengthen library services for teens, aged 12-18.”

“Pursuit” by Carrie Sha

What is that weird sculpture in the middle of the IRC?

“It’s simply a reminder of where we are now and where we want to go. “Pursuit” is about that spirit that drives us forward- from our studies (lower figure) to the future (upper figure). But this piece cannot be complete without you. It’s your dreams that belong on those steps- so please feel free to write down your aspirations on the post-it notes and visit this sculpture on exhibit in the IRC.”

Dream On,
Carrie Sha

On exhibit: 10/1 – 11/15

Some of the aspirations:

  • “Make my parents happy”
  • “Become a veterinarian”
  • “I want some confidence. I don’t want to be on the fence”
  • “Master BrighLink”
  • “Master photographer”
  • “Inspire”
  • “Study cello in Israel”
  • “Get A’s in both MAD & MCB next semester”
  • “Find my voice”
  • “To be absolutely amazing at one thing”

Please use post to continue to share your comments

Banned Books Week: 9/30 – 10/6

The IRC is celebrating the freedom to read this week during the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week. Jean Evans and students Daniel Collins, Monica Kim, Simona Stancov and Leon Wang, have set up a display of books that were banned or challenged around the country during the past year.

“Ever since books have been printed, people have been trying to get books out of the hands of others.” said Ms. Evans.

To set up the Banned Books display, Ms. Evans and the students consulted the American Library Association guide to decide which books they wanted to display that had been recently challenged or banned. The guide is printed each year and is a part of the IRC display. To read about all the books that have been challenged or banned, see the American Library Assoc. guide or any of the books on display that list the challenged or banned books by category.

Join the IRC staff as we celebrate the free and open access to information during Banned Books Week. Check out a banned or challenged book today!