118,503: Pages printed in the library 2010-11
110,917: Words we wrote for 2010 NaNoWriMo
2,020: % increase in book circulation since 2008
316: Pieces of art exhibited in the library 2010-11
164: Books featured on Library Picker 2010-11
27: Videos featured in "ON CAMERA: 2015"
1: Books about gnomes in the library collection
Posted on Sunday, December 16, 2007
Tags:
books,
reviews
BOOK REVIEW | AFC Championship. 10 minutes to go in the game and your team is up 17-0.
Sound like a good situation to be in? Sure... until both your 1st and 2nd string quarterbacks get hurt and the 3rd string guy gets sent in.
3 interceptions later your team loses 21-17. What you you think of that QB? Because he's the subject of John Grisham's book Playing for Pizza.
This QB gets cut and ends-up taking a job with a semi-pro team in a small Italian town. So this isn't a book for football die-hards. It's more of a look into the culture and people of small town Italy. And a great one at that, with some interesting insights into the football world.
The real fun comes from QB Rick Dockery's interactions with his Italian teammates, their culture, and their country. Sometimes he gets in trouble with the law, and one of his teammates is the judge for the region. Sometimes he likes to eat food, and some of his teammates run local restaurants. Sometimes a reporter from his old U.S. town comes to Italy to write bad stories about him and his lack of football skills. And all these people love the game of football almost as much as they love Italian culture.
While not a book that everyone will enjoy, Playing for Pizza does have a charm of its own. Pick this one up if you think you might like Italian culture with a little football thrown in. Google Books page is here.
Posted on Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Tags:
teaching
An interesting article from Mr. Rappleye and video from Mr. Ebeling via Mr. Jacobi:
Video --from Mr. Ebeling:Carol Dweck talks about her related research on "growth mindset" (belief that one's talents can be developed and that abilities are built over time) versus "fixed mindset" (belief that one's talents are set in stone--either you have them or you don't).CLICK HERE TO VIEW 4 MIN. VIDEO.
Hint: Don't tell your kids that they are. More than three decades of research shows that a focus on effort—not on intelligence or ability—is key to success in school and in life.
Many people assume that superior intelligence or ability is a key to success. But more than three decades of research shows that an overemphasis on intellect or talent—and the implication that such traits are innate and fixed—leaves people vulnerable to failure, fearful of challenges and unmotivated to learn.
Teaching people to have a “growth mind-set,” which encourages a focus on effort rather than on intelligence or talent, produces high achievers in school and in life... CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.
Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Tags:
books,
reviews
BOOK REVIEW | YOUR ENGLISH TEACHER HATES THIS BOOK
Why? The entire book is grammatically incorrect. "!" "." and "?" are the only punctuation marks.
Ok, so your English teacher might not really hate this one, but I loved it. It's incredibly unique and unlike any other book I've ever read. For a bunch of reasons. Like the fact that it's narrated by a eleven-year-old whose father was killed. And the dad-ghost wants the son to kill his uncle. And the uncle wants to marry the kid's mom. And the dad-ghost gets the "terrors." And adults say the story is a modern version of Shakespeare's Hamlet...
What really got me was the narrative... told in first person, this book sounds exactly like how someone thinks inside their own head (especially an eleven-year-old boy). It does take a little while to get used to it, though... but only a few pages.
Grab this book as fast as you can... there's a copy in the library. Read more about the book if you need to... Here's its Google Books page. Enjoy!
Posted on Thursday, December 06, 2007
Tags:
books,
reviews
BOOK REVIEW | So yesterday you accidentally stopped a bank robbery because the robber was an idiot, not because you were some kind of hero... and today you get a playing card (an ace of diamonds) in the mail with an address and a time written on it. You know you're supposed to do something with this information, but you're scared that you're a nobody (and have been all your life) and you'll just get yourself in over your head (or beaten senseless).
What would you do?
And what would you do if you kept getting aces sent to you?
That's the dilemma Ed Kennedy faces in I AM THE MESSENGER. A down-on-his-luck cabbie who never gets the girl but has a solid group of friends, Ed's not to confident in his ability to do what the aces ask of him. But if he doesn't get stuff done, he may get in more trouble of a different kind.
I loved this book. This is the book that got me back into reading "Young Adult" books, which I've found to be a lot more interesting than books meant for older readers. This Aussie book by an Aussie author is worth a look. Google Books is your friend.
Posted on Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Tags:
books,
reviews
BOOK REVIEW | Another book where the cover caught my eye... a tall ship at sunset and what looks like a canonball blowing through the title. Add the word "adventures of a young sailor" to the cover and a schematic of a ship on the inside and this book had me at "hello."
Not everyone will like this book. I liked it because I'm easily entertained, I love naval/pirate history, and I'll enjoy any book set at sea. Here's a sample of the text on the back cover...
I have seen boys and men right beside me torn in two halves by chain shot, faces all around staring in wide-eyed horror. I have looked on broken ships swallowed by the sea; I have known the bile-sour taste of fear. And all these things I knew before I turned fourteen.
Did that sound appealing to you? If so, read this book... we have it and its sequel, Prison Ship, in the Middle School library. Click here to visit Powder Monkey's Google Books page.
The annual "Helping Hands, Helping Hearts" service program kicked-off on Monday. MICDS has once again adopted another area school and will try to fufill the holiday wishes of each young student so that everyone can experience the joys of gift giving and receiving.
Mrs. Memula's 7th grade advisory hung small hand ornaments on trees in the black & white hallway during chapel period today. Each hand has a student's name from the adopted school and that student's individual wish for the holiday. Over the next few weeks, MICDS students will choose a hand, purchase a present, wrap it, and leave it under the tree for a student at the adopted school.
Thanks to Mrs. Memula's & Mrs. White's advisory for taking the time to prepare, hang, and maintain hundreds of ornaments!
Middle Schoolers got into the giving spirit again this year during the annual MICDS Turkey Train. Students were encouraged to donate either a frozen turkey and/or canned goods for the St. Louis Area Foodbank and gathered for an all-school assembly in the MAC to see the results of their generosity.
In addition to donating turkeys and canned goods, each Middle School advisory participated in grade-level can sculpture contests. These works of art ranged from artistic to bizarre to feats of engineering, and ultimately were judged by the deans. Winners included the DiGiulio Advisory (5th grade, right top) and the Dieffenbach Advisory (8th grade, right bottom). CLICK HERE to view pictures from all MS advisories! SEE ABOVE for video from one advisory...
Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Tags:
books,
reviews
BOOK REVIEW | Every year, around Halloween, I always try to grab some kind of book to get into the mood of the season. When I was younger (and again when I started working at MICDS) I often picked up something by John Bellairs; the creepy stories with classic illustrations by Edward Gorey (in some of the books) made for great Halloween reads.
The other thing I usually do around this time of year is read a short story by Richard Matheson. This year I re-read one of his best-known stories "I am Legend" in anticipation of the third time the story has been made into a movie... this time with Will Smith as the last man on Earth in a messed-up version of New York City.
This story might seem a little dated for some readers, but it's as entertaining as any other horror-type plot on the market today. That's because it's written by the guy (Matheson) that's pretty much considered the Godfather of horror writing.
It's also interesting because the first actor to play the main character in a movie went to school at Country Day (and we named a theatre after him a few years ago).
What's it about? Huge virus turns everyone on Earth into zombies... except one guy who goes around killing them while they sleep during the day. During the night, every night, they come in hordes to try to kill him in his barricaded house.
Posted on Monday, October 15, 2007
Tags:
news,
service
Upper and Middle School students got together on Tuesday to volunteer at the St. Louis Area Foodbank. It was the first of several monthly MICDS trips planned for the 2007-2008 school year. Students took a bus to the Foodbank warehouse in Earth City, received a brief tour and orientation from the manager, and then sorted and boxed food for a few hours before returning to campus. The Foodbank relies on volunteers from many schools, businesses, and organizations to get help to those in need. Each week, approximately 43,530 St. Louis area residents receive food prepared by volunteers at the Foodbank. That translates to over 2 million people fed by more than 13 million pounds of food. CLICK HERE to see some photos.
Posted on Monday, October 15, 2007
Tags:
books,
reviews
BOOK REVIEW | Whoa! This one was weird. I almost put it down after the first few pages because it was just too strange. But the cover was pretty cool, so I stuck with it and read the whole thing. The front cover was some kind of a sketch of a huge mosquito, and the back was an anatomical drawing of a human-ish hand/wrist. That alone was enough to make me buy it.
This book was half humor, half horror, half chess game between the characters. (I know, that's three halves... that's how weird this book was) Here's the summary: this guy is a reported for a cheap tabloid that deal with the unexplained. He gets a letter from a guy who claims to have a legendary, 4000 year old, man-eating (well, I guess it would be man-drinking) mosquito. Reporter goes out to investigate and gets stuck on island where crazy mosquito guy lives. The two get friendly, then things go downhill. People die. Other weird bugs come into the story. More weird things happen.
This actually got pretty interesting during the second half of the book. Once you suspend reality and accept that a huge mosquito could exist, the book is hard to put down if you really want to see what the big deal is regarding this bug. I was amazed, however, that noone mentioned "Off!" or "Cutter" during the entire book. Click HERE for its Google Books page!
On a day off for both the Varsity Rams and the 8th Grade Rams, members of both football squads decided to spend time together working on football skills on Friday. Varsity players coached 8th graders in a variety of skills and techniques by position. Lineman learned pulling techniques and blitz pick up, running backs and quarterbacks learned correct handoff, pitch, and option technique, and receivers learned how to stick a good route. Thanks to the Varsity players for contributing both their time and their knowledge on their day off! CLICK HERE to see some photos.
Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2007
Tags:
games,
reviews
GAME REVIEW | I haven't played a Zelda game since N64's "Ocarina of Time", the one that's pretty much considered the best video game of all time by everyone. I was an addict. I'd play late at night and get up in the morning for more.
That was before I had a job.
So when the GBA Zelda game, "The Minish Cap" came out, I figured I'd give it a try, but I was a little nervous. I didn't think it would have the great story of "Ocarina" or the incredible sound. While I liked the original 2D Zelda, I wasn't sure how much I would like it now; I didn't want to ruin my great Zelda experiences with a bad one. But with one swing of Link's sword, and upon hearing his trademark yell, I knew "Minish Cap" was going to be a good one.
I was delighted to see all the same characters from older games (plus some new ones), along with a soundtrack that took all the old familiar songs and remixed them in a catchy way. Unlocking a door towards the end of the game gave me access to a record player in a house where you could play all the songs from the soundtrack (some of them are on the library iPod now). The story, like the soundtrack, was familiar but fresh enough to make it a great game. Click HERE for more info.
After transporting over 2 tons of library books since July, the Library Cart has seen its last load after both tires popped late last night. Some claim its frame became bent beyond recognition.
Reports are that the Cart had exceeded it 800lb. capacity.
Mr. Fitz stated "That Cart should have been a little more responsible...and responsibility is part of our honor code. It knew it wasn't supposed to carry more than 800 pounds."
The Library Cart moved almost 5000 books from Messing Library to storage, where they will wait to be donated to area schools. It participated in the renovation of Messing Library and was essential to the 8th grade football service project in early August.
Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Tags:
events,
service
20-30 8th grade football players came to school a week early to participate in the team's service project in the Middle School Library. Students recorded, boxed, and moved nearly 5000 books in preparation for donating them to schools in need. Each student received four community service hours for their participation. CLICK HERE to see some photos.
MISSION
Messing Library works to foster and facilitate communication, collaboration, creativity, and community.
STAFF
Mr. Matthew Lundy DiGiulio (MICDS '97) | Middle School Librarian
Matt has a diverse set of experiences in almost two decades as part of the MICDS community, ranging from athletic championships and technology integration to innovative design concepts for curricula, web sites, and library facilities. Read more about him in this recent interview.
Mrs. Andrea Ostlund | Library Assistant
Andrea works in both the Middle School and the Lower School as a library assistant. She's also a manager of the Extended Day program for Beasley students. You're most likely to see her in Messing Library during the afternoons!
RESOURCES
Messing Library provides many resources to MICDS faculty, staff, students, and parents. The space itself has been used for classes, study halls, athletic team meetings, parent committee meetings, admissions events, dances, and MICDS family gatherings. Click here to learn about the history of Messing Library.
SPACE
> Messing Library: Main Room (capacity: up to 3 classes or 60 people)
> Messing Library: Reading Room (seating capacity: about 8 - 20 students)
BOOKS
> Fiction (Main Room): Arranged by genre (Short Stories, Historical Fiction, SciFi & Fantasy, Classics, Drama & Comedy, Action & Suspense)
> Grab & Go (Main Room): No checkout necessary for these paperbacks
> Reference & Biography (between Main & Reading Rooms)
> Non-Fiction/Stacks (Reading Room)
> Oversize (Reading Room)
SUBSCRIPTIONS
> Newspapers: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Suburban Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal
> Magazines: Time, Newsweek, NYT UpFront, Sports Illustrated, Girl's Life, Crow Toes Quarterly, Teen Ink, GamePro, MICDS ClassNotes, MICDS Magazine
> Research Databases: About 40 online databases, including EBSCO, Gale, ABC-CLIO, CQ Researcher, JSTOR, SIRS, and Discovery Streaming. Visit our databases page for a full listing.
TECHNOLOGY
> 7 computer work stations
----- 5 wall stations for collaborative group work (Intel Mac Minis)
----- 2 library catalog terminals (iMacs)
> Wired & wireless networks supporting student tablet program
> 2 networked printers (MS-Messing-Student, MS-Messing-Faculty)
> 1 Xerox copier (no document feeder)
> 8 digital still/video capable cameras (Canon, SD memory)
> 22 digital video cameras & accessories (18 Flip, 4 miniDV Sony)
> 3 USB scanners (Canon)
> 2 USB CD/DVD drives
> 1 Promethean ActivBoard
> Wireless audio system
> 1 dual screen VHS/DVD viewing system
> Social networking presence on: Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Flickr, YouTube, & Delicious
The Wilma Jean Messing Library originally served the as the Mary Institute Upper School library during the second half of the 20th Century. According to the book Mary Institute: The Story of One Hundred Years, by Arthur Newell Chamberlin III (former MI History Department Chair)...
Following the successful Centennial Development Program of 1958, Mary began its second hundred years to the sounds of construction workers and their divers machines. The new wing was added to the main building, and the old gymnasium was thoroughly remodeled into an up-to-date science building. Additional library space was provided by the construction of the Wilma Jean Messing Memorial Library (in memory of Wilma Jean Messing, MI '62). An open shelf library with comfortable chairs and delightful decor, the Messing Memorial has more than 11,000 volumes. The old library was renovated and became the Barbara Cousland Memorial Room and has housed the the Middle School Library of approximately 4,000 volumes.
After the MI-CDS merger of 1992, the former Mary Institute campus became "South Campus" and home to the MICDS Middle School. Messing Library also began to serve the MICDS Middle School at this time under the direction of long-time CDS teacher and coach John Steward. Formally a Latin teacher, Mr. Steward became the School's new Senior Master and brought the library program into the internet age by continually learning and applying new techniques. Very much an advocate of the use of technology in the classroom, John was a great resource for many members of the faculty and also served as the School's archivist.
Upon John's retirement after more than four decades of service to CDS and MICDS, Matt DiGiulio (MICDS '97), a member of the History Department faculty since 2002, began the task of redesigning the Messing Library floor plan and program in the Summer of 2007. After more than a month of physical work on the library space, Messing Library opened it's doors in August 2007, prepared to serve the needs of teaching and learning in the MICDS community.
To get an idea of the changing nature of the middle school library, watch the short video "Change of Space" below.
Posted on Monday, July 02, 2007
Tags:
books,
reviews
BOOK REVIEW | Usually considered to be the first real novel ever written, The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York doesn't seem, at first, to be that great. It took awhile to get used to some of the language and word usage, and getting through the first part of the book seemed a little dull, but once you get into it, it was easy to see why the book's a classic. It helped that I had a version of the book that had more modern spelling (it was published in 1790, I guess they spelled stuff differently then), and it probably didn't hurt that I was reading it on a beach.
Once our boy Robinson Crusoe gets shipwrecked, things don't look so good. He despairs. He whines (to himself). He gives up a little. The he gets over it and starts to build stuff... like a mountainside cave castle. And a summer home. And a boat (not a big one, so no, he can't escape). Plus, he makes friends...with animals. And thinks a lot. And grows stuff.
Does he ever escape? Meet any humans along the way? Maybe...so overall, pretty good. But you have to be in the mood for it. Click HERE for the full text and other related stuff.
3 interceptions later your team loses 21-17. What you you think of that QB? Because he's the subject of John Grisham's book Playing for Pizza.
