Tis the Season...to CRAFT!

The weeks between Thanksgiving Break and Christmas Break are my favorite.  In my library, they are filled with Christmas music, a roaring virtual fireplace, and lots of love and laughter. Everyone just seems more relaxed and joyful this time of year.

This year, these weeks will also be filled with several days of crafting.  

Today we decorated plastic Christmas balls ($1.50 for 5 at Dollar General) with scraps of book and atlas pages from discarded library books.

After a trial run, I was nervous we did not have enough Mod Podge (that stuff is expensive!).  I read that you could also use glue watered down to do this project. We also discovered we needed to have them cut the papers into smaller sizes.  

A little time and a touch of ribbon and the results were really amazing.  This was more time consuming than any craft I've done with students, but the kids really, really enjoyed it and I did too.

Until Next Time,

Mrs. Hutto

Library Media Specialist

South Side High School

People Are People: A Look at the Plum Bayou Indians

I, for one, am a huge supporter of our State and National Park Systems.  My family and I frequent our Arkansas State Parks and love every opportunity we get to visit parks both close to home and far away.  We depend on Park Interpreters to teach us about nature and our past. My brother-in-law Jon Hutto, a 2003 South Side Alumni, is a Park Interpreter at Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park and I couldn't be prouder of him. He does a great job bringing history to life.

Interpreter Hutto likes to say, "People are people no matter when or where they lived."  

Mr. Hutto addresses Mr. Tanner's 11th grade AP U.S. History clas

This is certainly true of the Plum Bayou people that lived and built mounds right outside of Little Rock thousands of years ago.  What we know about these people is based on the ongoing archeological and interpretive endeavors at the Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park.  In short, professionals make educated guesses about what life was like for these people using evidence gathered at the site.

FACS Teacher Mrs. Rooney, attempts hunting with a blow gun

According to evidence, the Plum Bayou people were not so different than us.  They lived, loved, ate, danced, and on hot days by Mound Lake, a small child would even fashion their hair out of their eyes with a "bone" barrette.

Mr. Hutto talks about his Career with Mrs. Rooney's CO class

The mounds were a gathering site for ceremonies and festivals that the modern day Quapaw Indians are still allowed to use.  In fact, the Quapaw are the only people allowed to wander freely on the mounds during their ceremonies several times a year.

Mrs. Hutto demonstrates spear hunting

There are still things we don't know about the Plum Bayou people, such as why they left that area so long ago, but thanks to Mr. Hutto and the work of archeologists, we now know what kind of houses they built (hint: not tepees) and what tools they used to hunt with. Students were able to handle actual artifacts that the Plum Bayou people used.  That is a pretty neat experience.

Uncle Jon with his 5th grade niece, Blair

Mr. Hutto spoke to the 5th and 6th graders, Mrs. Rooney's 8th grade Career Orientation class, and our 11th grade AP U.S. History class.  We thank him for sharing his time and knowledge with us.

For more information on Toltec, such as hours of operation and guided tours, click the link below.

Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park

Until Next Time,

Amy Hutto, LMS
South Side High School

Flo G's Testing Experience

           I clipped my flag-football belt around my waist, wondering who could be eliminated first. 

The names were being called, one by one. Taylor emerged from the equipment room with an automatic Nerf gun. Great. Four of the six people were called, until finally, “Flossie.” I walked nervously into the small room, anticipating the weapons. Foam nun chucks. No. Silly string….maybe. A long, foam sword. Possibly. Well, those were my three choices. 

Defense was what I needed, so I chose the most obvious ones.

          The first candidate was dropped off by the pre-school, behind a parked car. Taylor, by a tree. Luke, my alliance, in a dugout. Me, partially hidden behind the larger concession stand.  Bo, in the baseball field bleachers. Handling my foam sword and Silly Spray, I took in a deep breath. I waited for the last candidate to be dropped off, then “GO!”

          I had set up a plan the previous day- Make an alliance with Luke and Mary, fellow 7^th graders.  Meet in the softball dugout. Run to the high school library, our designated finish line. Win. But unfortunately, there was no time for that now. 

       There were footsteps-quick ones-coming my way. I dashed into the tall weeds nestled behind the concession stand, to find a pursuer. I gasped, sure that I would be eliminated there and then. But I had no such luck-It was Luke, my alliance, the one to aid me in crossing the border to the library. I signaled for him to come on, and then we turned the corner. There we found Bo sprinting toward the playground. I considered whether or not to follow, because he would be an easier target to catch, but Luke countered. I motioned for him to follow me, racing to the scorekeeper’s tower, a shed-sized, two-story building. We peeked around the corner, but our vision was blocked by bleachers. I walked around the back of the structure, trying the door. It was open. 

         We tramped up the stairs after scanning the floor for supplies. Nope, just trash. As I cleared the final step, I scanned the field for competitors. Almost every single one was there, racing towards the playground. I caught my breath while Luke tied his shoe, and then we headed out.

          We ran along the outside border of the baseball field, the long way. But less enemies. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the trees along the pavement. I froze, as did Luke. I said, quietly, “Get down.” We crouched as the rustling came again, and then I caught sight of the danger-a bunny. I laughed, and then we raced around the corner, to a clump of tall weeds. I crouched behind them, seeing at least two candidates who had failed the first or second tests-they were set out to prevent us from winning. But Mary, my other alliance, was one of these people. Luke and I ran up to the auditorium, to be greeted by “AHHHHHGHH!” and a Kyle lashing out at us. 

I pointed my readied sword at his chest, and put a menacing look on my face. 

“Stop,” I said, “If you move, I’ll get you.” He nodded sharply, and we set off to be greeted by two more, one was Mary. “Floss,” she breathed. “We were supposed to meet at the dugout!” I shook my head. “We couldn’t, we were being chased.” She nodded understandingly. 

         We headed to the back door of the high school building, stopping at the corner. The four or five Candidates we had picked up went ahead and opened the locked door, notifying that it had been done. I entered the building cautiously, my sword at the ready. Right around the corner, there were to previously-eliminated Candidates. I whacked the first one, and the second one put up her hand. “Do it quick.” She said. I whacked her anyway. We ran down the first hallway, skidding as we entered the library by the side door. We did it. We finished. We won! I sauntered up to Dr. Rooney, who was in charge of keeping up with the Candidates. I had finished the Testing, in Fourth place…behind Bo, Taylor, and the girl who was dropped off by the pre-school. The only Candidate still out there was Timmy. I begged Dr. Rooney to let me chase him down, and she agreed.

 I dashed outside with my Silly String ready... 

About the author:

Flossie is a 7th grader at South Side High School.  She enjoys reading--especially fiction. She also participates in softball, Quiz Bowl, Mutts club, and book club. She is a big-time animal lover, and loves being around dogs. She also enjoys writing her own stories.

Taking it to the Limit with The Testing

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau is a thrilling mash up of The Giver and The Hunger Games. For the first time, I decided that one book club meeting would not be enough to capture the fun and potential of this trilogy.  It was then that the idea of conducting my own "Testing" came to mind...

Welcome to the Testing Center.

“Every year the United Commonwealth reviews the achievements of the graduates in all 18 colonies. The top students from that pool of graduates are brought to Tosu City for Testing to attend the University.  Being chosen is an honor.  The graduates of the university are our great hope—the ones we are all counting on to help regenerate the earth and improve our quality of life.  They are future scientists, doctors, teachers, and government officials.

You have been chosen for the testing.

It is the highest honor a young person can receive. A select group of you will be selected to attend the University and learn to rebuild the world. From this group The government will chose it’s future leaders. Everything is part of the test. You are being watched at all times. Some of you won’t be able to take the pressure."

My name is Dr. Amy Hutto.  

"I speak for myself and my colleagues when I say we are honored to have you here. You are here because you are the best and the brightest.  On your shoulders rest the hopes of everyone in the Commonwealth.  Here among you are the future leaders of our country.  All leaders must be tested, which is the process you will begin today.”

"There is only one question you need to answer…

Who can you trust?"

Round 1

The Testing consists of 3 parts. Over the next few school days, you will sit for the written exam. This will consist of an exam of your general knowledge. After this test, 5 of you will be eliminated.

Kahoot General Knowledge Quiz ranked students on not only correct answers, but how quickly they answered them.

Round 2

Sixteen Testing candidates remain. Six will remain after the officials discuss performance in this group challenge.

One person in your group must be chosen to complete each of the following challenges.  In this phase, wrong answers are penalized. Raise your hand when you have finished the current test. You have five minutes to decide who will do what challenge.

1.       Jigsaw Puzzle

2.       Sudoku

Testing Official Dr. Smith looks on as Jesslyn tests on Sudoku

3.       20 push ups in a row

4.       Lego vehicle (Ingenuity and funcitionality)

5.       Science Test (Outer Space)

Round 3

Congratulations to all of you for making it to the third round of Testing. There were 21 candidates in this year’s Testing class. Six of you remain. Today will begin the longest phase of our Testing--the practical examination. University students are the future leaders of the United Commonwealth.  Because some of you in this room will soon be designated as among those leaders, we believe it is necessary for you to understand fully the challenges you will face.  You will travel to a non-revitalized part of the country and be placed in a designated starting location. When the Test begins, you must then find your way from that location back to Tosu City (SSHS Library).  Those who return will be given a passing grade and will qualify for the final evaluation period. That evaluation will determine the candidates who will attend the University.

All original candidates (the redirected helped in the final round)

"Each candidate will begin the test independent of each other.  That does not mean you have to remain alone.  You may chose to team up with other candidates. You may also choose to impair the progress of your fellow candidates in order to ensure that you obtain a passing grade before them.  What choices you make during the test will be considered in your final evaluations. Any candidate who leaves the Testing area at any time will be given a failing grade. Please do not make us enforce this rule.” (p. 134-135)

Finalist Tim flees an enemy

“Each testing candidate is allowed 2 minutes to select two additional items to help you successfully complete the test.  Names will be drawn to see who chooses first. Choose carefully.  Your choices mean the difference between success and failure.  Of course, I doubt you would have made it this far if you hadn’t figured this out.” (p. 137)

Junior, Beau P. takes first place (second from right)

Other Rules:

The candidates will be ranked in the order they arrive at Tosu City with their flags in tact.  (A Testing official will be recording this data.)

Flags must be clipped around the waist.  It cannot be tied or fastened where it cannot be pulled off.

STAY TUNED...

The next blog post will be written by a South Side student who will write based on her experiences in the final round of The Testing.

Until Next Time,
Amy Hutto, LMS
South Side High School

Works Cited:

Charbonneau, Joelle. The Testing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. Print.

Crafting @ Your Library: Bookmarks

Students gathered in the library for our first crafting session of the year courtesy of Pinterest.  

They always amaze me with their creativity!

Supplies:

Sharpies (mostly black)

Paint color strips

one-hole punch

Ribbon

Optional--Crafting scissors

The students were instructed to either doodle or write a message on their bookmark.  I think the project turned out really great and it was inexpensive to boot!

Until Next Time,

Amy Hutto, LMS
South Side High School

A Librarian's Beattitude

"Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures." 

-Lovelle Drachman

Are young people today losing their curiosity?  I fear the tendency is to accept the information that they are bombarded with on the Internet and social media as the Gospel.  Don't know the answer? Just google it. Don't know how to get there? Google map it. Tap. Drag. Click. Done.

Are we keeping them too busy to have time to get lost, to dream, to think and to be curious about the world?

Am I doing my best at teaching them where and how to find the best answers to their questions?

Where has our own sense of adventure and our love of intellectual pursuit gone?

Lots of questions, I know.

I say that it is high time to reclaim our curiosity.  It is time to remind ourselves and the students of South Side that there is a great big world out there and other people who live their everyday lives just like they do, only on the other side of the world.  Isn't that fascinating?  It's time to remind students that sometimes we have better questions than we do answers, and that is perfectly okay.  Long and lingering conversations about life and love are something that we all should be having. Life's journey is about seeing that there is something out there bigger than yourself, and that we should stand thankful and amazed and curious about the wonders this world holds.  So if kids these days have indeed lost their curiosity, I want to play a part in helping them get it back again.

While students from our small town might not necessarily be able to pack up their bags and fly away, they are invited to embrace the tenets of an adventuresome spirit.

1.  Read books written about faraway places, both real and imagined.
2.  Seek out people who are well-traveled and ask them about their experiences.
3.  Take a road trip to one of the historic sites that are within an hour radius of Bee Branch.
4.  Befriend a foreign exchange student and learn as much as you can about their home country.
5.  Start a savings account for a dream trip that you want to take in the future.

After spending a month this summer on the grandest adventure of my life thus far, I learned some valuable lessons about adventure and curiosity.  The total lack of television or Internet in our cottage in the Philippines leaves a person with a lot of time to think about life and forces you to face those in your family without the involvement of the flickering pixels of a Gameboy or television or cellphone.  It forces you to embrace the moment, to play games, and to actually have conversations with each other.  It forces you to stop and hear the birds and voices of your neighbors through the screens of your windows.  Before you know it, someone has invited you to join a dance group and you say "Yes" and bring the whole family because what the heck else are you going to do?  You're going to meet new people, learn some moves, and get out of your comfort zone. Now, that's an adventure! The relationships built and the cultural experiences that I gained during my stay in Davao City serves as an inspiration for this year's library theme.

I understand that it seems kind of counter-intuitive for a Library Media Specialist to say that technology can drown out our sense of adventure, but in truth, technology has become much more than just a tool for us.  It has become an idol. Just deal with a student who's cell phone gets taken away at school.  Often times it is quite obvious that there are way too many emotions attached to and tied up in those tiny little devices...

Technology is a tool.  It is meant to compliment our minds and our intellectual endeavors, not to do our thinking and living for us.

Compostella Valley, Mindanao, Philippines

Let's get it back to that. Let's reclaim our minds and find our curiosity again.

Let's look at postcards. Let's dream big.  Let's ask good questions.

Come to the South Side High School Library to get started on that journey.

Guest speakers, Makerspaces, and much much more is coming your way in the library during the 2015-2016 school year.

Blessed are the curious, for they shall find adventures...

Amy Hutto, LMS
South Side High School Library

National Library Week 2015

Unlimited Possibilities @ Your Library

Monday---Gaming @ Your Library

The library was open before school and at lunch for gaming.

.

Tuesday---Reading @ Your Library

Students read passages from their favorite books.

Wednesday---Working @ Your Library

Students joined us before school for donuts to celebrate the work our student library aides do.

Thursday---Crafting @ Your Library

Students came in at lunch and created a pencil bag made out of duct tape.

Friday---Singing @ Your Library

We had a karaoke session during our lunch hour. 

1st Place Jade with "Teach Me How to Dougie"

2nd Place Aleksa "Should've Been a Cowboy"

3rd Place "Bailando"

Here is one of my favorite acts---an honorable mention in my book---Tyler with "Hotel California"

What a fun time we had in the library this week!!!

Until Next Time,

Amy Hutto, LMS

South Side High School