Three Whatcom County educators who successfully advocate for reading and public libraries to further student success will be honored with Whatcom County Library System’s Golden Apple Educator Award at a 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3 ceremony at the Ferndale Events Center, 5715 Barrett Road, Ferndale. The celebration is part of the library system’s noon-5 p.m. Open Book: A Festival for Readers.
The honorees are Multilingual English Learner Specialist Jennifer Bailey, Nooksack Valley High School; Librarian Nicolle Klander, Everson Elementary School; and Reading and Math Intervention Specialist Tom Maxim, Blaine Primary and Elementary School.
WCLS began the Golden Apple Educator Award in 2007 to honor the dedication of local teachers and school staff who connect students with library resources that further their growth and learning. “We are incredibly grateful to all the local educators who partner with county libraries to connect young people in our community with books, stories and reference materials,” says WCLS Executive Director Christine Perkins. “It is our honor to recognize Jennifer, Nicolle and Tom this year and to thank them for their outstanding work.”
Open Book: A Festival for Readers is a free event sponsored by the Whatcom County Library Foundation and presented by WCLS in partnership with Village Books and Paper Dreams. The noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3 event celebrates readers, writers and bookish enthusiasm with author presentations, book talks, and weird and wonderful hands-on book-related experiences at more than 20 booths and stages. Find details at wcls.org/openbook.
ABOUT THE NOMINEES
Jennifer Bailey’s classroom is a sanctuary for students. “She’s the adult who you’d want to know if you were new to this county and were unsure of how to navigate the cafeteria and crowded hallways and how to take those first steps in making new friends,” says WCLS Teen Services Coordinator Tamar Clarke. Bailey’s main role is to support the academic needs of her students as they develop as learners and readers, in both English and their native languages. She invites WCLS staff into her classroom to share about ConnectED and to school events like Hispanic Heritage Family Night to make sure her students’ families know how to access the many books and other resources available to them from the public library. “We are so thankful she is there to help families and students feel a sense of belonging at school and in the community,” Clarke says.
Nicolle Klander wants students to understand the value of the library and to fall in love with books. She is constantly looking for ways to connect students with reading and uses the public library to fill in gaps when the school library doesn’t have the books she wants to recommend. Following the 2021 flood that displaced Sumas students, the Everson Elementary School Library became a classroom so those students could continue attending classes in their own district. Despite the lack of a library space, Klander found new ways to deliver library services to students, including asking WCLS to bring the bookmobile to the school. She also encourages students to use ConnectED, WCLS’s partnership with local school districts that enables students to use their school ID as a library card. The program gives students convenient access to books and audiobooks and the ability to use online resources from the public library.
Tom Maxim has been instrumental in ensuring that students have access to a wide range of books, enriching their learning experience and sparking imaginations. Following the closure of the Blaine Elementary Library, Maxim recognized the urgent need for students to have access to quality reading materials. He reached out to Jim Pettinger at the Blaine Library to arrange monthly delivery of curated capsules of library books to scores of classrooms. Since its launch last spring, this program successfully circulated over 1,000 books through Blaine Elementary School and has expanded this year to Blaine Primary School, where WCLS books are now supporting emerging readers.