Tag Archives: extended mini grant

Guest Blogger, Resources, School Media Specialist

Cheryl Sorensen at McGregor High School Extended Mini Grant Report

This is a guest post from Cheryl Sorensen, Media Specialist at McGregor High School. Read more about our Extended Mini Grant Program.

A HUGE thank you to the CMLE for choosing the McGregor High School Library as a recipient for the Extended Mini-Grant Program which allowed me to purchase many books for our library. 

I chose classic stories along with books on Presidents, First Ladies, and important people in the United States.  These books will have an impact on our students through their expanded imagination, growth in knowledge of the leaders of our country, and hopefully, a joy of reading.

Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and grow and books offer that.  
– Cheryl Sorensen, McGregor High School Library

Guest Blogger, School Media Specialist

Mary Shaddrick at North Jr High Extended Mini Grant Report

This is a guest post from Mary Shaddrick, Media Specialist at North Jr. High. Read more about our Extended Mini Grant Program.

If your library is anything like mine, graphic novels – and more specifically Manga novels – do not sit long on the shelf. Every day, some come back and more go out the door. Students wait weeks to get the title they want next. I enjoy seeing students excited about reading, but I want to give them the opportunity to create a graphic novel of their own. 

Thanks to the generosity of CMLE and the extended mini-grant program, students at North Junior High in St. Cloud will be able to create their own graphics novels.  With the grant monies, I purchased 10 copies of “The Master Guide to Drawing Anime,” 24 sketch drawing pads, 24 blank comic book template books, and 24 sets of art supplies for sketching.  When a student checks out the drawing how-to book, they get the chance to also get the chance to receive the free art supplies. Everything they need to create their own graphic novel. 

The second part of the project will take place when students finish their graphic novels.  The finished book will become part of our media center library collection.  Students will have the chance to be an author, and their peers will be able to read and view their creative works. My hope is that we will have a growing student-created graphic novel section. 

Thank you to CMLE for providing this grant, and I will definitely share the student-created artwork as it comes to me. 

Check it Out:, CMLE, Guest Blogger, Resources, School Media Specialist

Anna Hazzard Extended Mini Grant Report

This is a guest post from Anna Hazzard at Liberty Elementary in Big Lake. Find out more about our Extended Mini Grant Program.

First of all, I want to give a huge thank you to the CMLE for accepting my mini grant submission! I am beyond excited and thankful!

   Here at Liberty we are a K-2 elementary school with over 700 students.  Each one of our students has a weekly library time to check out books with their class. My vision as the media assistant at Liberty is to create excitement around books, reading, and the library experience.  Why can’t the library be lively, fun, a little loud (sometimes), AND educational? 

   Every couple of months the Liberty library transforms into a newly decorated, interactive theme! This has been so successful and such an amazing way to create excitement around the different books we have in the library! The students have absolutely loved these various themes and always look forward to what’s next! Some of our past themes have been Rev Up with a Good Book, Camp Out, Once Upon a Time,  Back to School with the Characters We Love, and Snowmen At Night.

   With this mini grant we were able to purchase decorations, books, and activities to create our latest themed experience…Ms. Anna’s Gingerbread Land (as named by one of my students)! Not only will we enjoy these items now but they will also be reused for future events!!!

   When students visit the library every week to check out books they also get to enjoy this interactive gingerbread theme! They are having a blast with the larger than life decorations to take pictures by, themed special events/activities, and of course BOOKS!!!

   The joy that this grant has brought to the students of Liberty is one for the books!  It’s really something you have to see on the faces of the students as they walk into the library!

 It is truly magical!!! Thank you again CMLE!!!!

Guest Blogger, Materials

Lisa Lindbloom Extended Mini Grant

This is a guest post from Lisa Lindbloom in the media center at Sartell Middle School. Find out more about our Extended Mini Grant Program.

Thank you CMLE for supporting Sartell Middle School Students! We are so excited to see the books flying off the shelf with the return of students to our building.

The diverse books that were purchased over the summer have inspired our students to venture out and read about other cultures, perspectives and experiences from new authors that have not been on our shelf before.  

Our students are already beginning to request the new books to be held for them and the conversations around literature have been great!

One of our favorite student reactions so far has been “Yes, I have been wanting to read this book! When did we get it?” The students’ excitement has been contagious!

CMLE, Guest Blogger, School Media Specialist

Scott Eskro Extended CMLE Mini Grant Report

This is a guest post from Scott Eskro, Media Specialist at Elk River High School. Read more about our Extended Mini Grant Program. This program was only available during the FY21 school year.

In the 2020 – 2021 school year, Elk River High School had a student population of around 1500. Like all schools, that number fluctuated in terms of students in school and students in distant learning situations.

But no matter where the students were, everyone was dealing with the stress and strain of living in a pandemic. Some believe we are on the verge of a social emotional crisis which further impacts the mental health of teens. The pandemic has exacerbated this issue and every school in the country has seen a huge impact on the mental health of their student population.

So we were looking to add contemporary fiction and memoirs that deal with the topic of mental health.

In the classrooms, English teachers have projects where students read contemporary fiction and memoirs. Students examine what the author is trying to address and/or affirm about a problem or issue in society. What issues, concerns or struggles do the characters face? How does the author address the issue and are the characters successful at tackling the issue?

We already had some books on a variety of contemporary issues. However, we were lacking books on the issue of mental illness and were hoping to add books in that area. 

Mental health is an extensive field. We were trying to improve our collection in two areas in particular.

We were looking to add books that look at the role gender plays in mental illness – examining the role that gender identity has on mental health. We were also hoping to buy memoirs and books on the topic of PTSD. Students are very interested in that topic and we have a significant portion of our student population that join the military. 

With this grant from CMLE, we were able to buy over 80 books dealing with a variety of mental health issues. Thank you CMLE for helping our students learn and tackle these issues through literature.

We will use three sets of data to examine success. First, we will look at checkout data on the books. Second, we will be giving the students a Google Form to fill out, gathering their thoughts about the book, and their understanding of the mental health issue. Third, the teacher will be examining the papers the students write.

Thank you once again, CMLE for helping us support our students and community through this grant.