PTSA Donates Three New Video Cameras to the Library

The library received three DBPower Sports Cameras from the PTSA.  The new video cameras are available for teacher and student checkout. They have already been used by the baseball team to record practice sessions, to record teacher lessons for accreditation and to film a French student event.  We are very grateful for the new cameras and look forward to them being used for a long time.

Freedom Riders, 1961 Exhibit Coming to Ashley

Ashley High and Murray Middle have jointly sponsored the Freedom Riders Exhibit to come to both of our schools.  It will be at Ashley High Media Center January 4 - 13 and then moved to Murray Middle Media Center on January 14th.

All students and classroom teachers are encouraged to come view the Freedom Riders display, it will be an educational experience. 

There is a Libguide created for use in conjunction with the visit that provides background information and links to many videos that relate to the topic. http://ashley.nhcs.libguides.com/freedomriders

If parents and family friends would like to view the exhibit, it will be open to the public on January 5th and January 12th from 5:00 - 7:30 pm.

The traveling exhibit is developed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in partnership with American Experience productions.

Laptops and Hotspots Now Available for Student Checkout

The County Technology Department has provided each of the four high schools with laptops and hotspots for student checkout.  The hotspots will provide Internet access for those of you who do not have access at home.  The laptops may be checked out by themselves if you have your own Internet access at home.


Before you check out either of these pieces of equipment, you will need to have your parents sign a permission slip for you to do so.  The laptops will be checked out for a two week period and will need to be renewed every two weeks if you need to have access to them longer than the original two weeks.


If this program will benefit you, your first step is to stop by the media center and pick up a form for your parents and return it to Mrs. Absi.

Online Magazines Available Through the NHCPL

Ashley High Media Center is not carrying as many print versions of popular magazines as we did a number of years ago.  But you can still access online copies of magazines from New Hanover County Public Library using your Digital Access Card.


When you click on the link to their site, posted on the Home page of the Media Center's website, you will be able to click on eMagazines and pull up either Flipster or Zinio.  Zinio has the larger collection of titles, so you might want to check them out first.


When you get to the site, click on create a new account, and then enter your digital access number.  You will be asked for your name and email and to create a password.  Once logged in Zinio has over 50 titles that you can browse or sort by subject. Read the magazine on a PC or Mac or download an app to your reader and access it that way.  There are apps for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle.

Preparing for College & Career Planning

Check out the College & Career Planning page on the Media Center Webpage to find out some tips on filling out applications, visiting colleges, and exploring careers that might not include a 4 year degree.  There is also a link to Mrs. Colella's Scholarship page, the FAFSA site, CFNC and The Common Application site.


There are links to a couple of blogs -The Uncommon Grad and Applying to College written for students about the college experience that you might be interested in reading. 


If you are interested in more information on community colleges, careers without college, the military and four-year colleges, check out the Career & College Information Libguide. http://ashley.nhcs.libguides.com/careerandcollege

Nonfiction Speed Dating in the Media Center

Mr. Jarman's AP English classes were in the media center Friday for a little speed dating.  The students had four minutes at each table to review the books that were on their table and write down any titles that they had an interest in reading.  The groups rotated around nine tables that had a variety of books about science, history, social issues and memoirs. 


The dating was a success with most students finding something of interest to read and there were only a few instances of students missing out on getting their first choice because someone else beat them to the title.  The students left with a list of titles to read in the future and some of them took photos of their favorites with their iphones.

Two More Libguides Added

We have added two more Libguides to our collection this past month.  One of them is on Suicide Prevention.  There was interest in this topic since September 10th was World Suicide Prevention Day, a great many resources have been pulled together to be accessible all year long.  Resources include suggested books, national organizations and help sites.


The second Libguide is on Banned Books Week.  This guide contains information on challenged books and links to sites that are concerned about challenged materials such as the American Library Association and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.  The guide also contains videos, an infographic and teacher resources.

Preparing for The New PSAT exam

For Juniors taking the PSAT in October, Kaplan Test Prep will be hosting free online PSAT Cram Sessions to help students prepare for the upcoming New PSAT.  Sessions will be offered at the end of September through October. To sign up for a Cram Session today, please visit kaptest.com/psatcram. Space is limited.

The New PSAT is fast approaching! To help students walk into the New PSAT feeling prepared and confident, Kaplan is hosting free prep. Our Online Cram Sessions for the New PSAT are packed with the most important material to boost students’ scores on every section, including:

• Overview: Summary of test format, structure, and scoring
• Strategies: Learn 10 Top Score-Raising Tips
• Plan: Detailed study schedule leading up to the test
• Timeline: What to do after the PSAT, from the SAT & ACT to college applications
• Comparisons: How the New PSAT relates to the New SAT- and why that matters

 The first Cram Session will be on September 30th with other sessions continuing through October.

Visiting College and Public Librarians present to Senior English classes.

The librarians from UNCW, CFCC and the NHCPL came to speak to Ashley High School's senior English classes about the resources available for conducting research in each of their respective libraries. Seniors are working on their Graduation Projects. 

If you need to get to the presentation and links they created for you, please go to the Parent and Student Resources page and click on Getting Started On Your Senior Project.  Remember they came here to make sure that you are aware of the resources they have and also to encourage you to make use of their services.  

If you are planning on attending a 4-year college or university next year, it would be a good idea to visit UNCW as Ms. Kaylor and Ms. Raymer mentioned, so that you become aware of how those types of libraries are organized.

L to R - Susan DeMarco, Beth Kaylor, Carla Sarratt, Melissa Raymer, and Jacob Deininger.