The Leading Learning Implementation Award has been established to recognize, honour, and applaud school districts, provinces, and territories who have developed and/or enhanced their school library learning commons on a systemic basis, founded on the tenets, principles and continuous growth and renewal focus of the five standards of Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada.
Canadian School Libraries was honoured to present the Leading Learning Implementation Award to Surrey Schools, School District 36, Surrey, BC, at the Treasure Mountain Canada symposium kick-off dinner on October 21, 2022.
All 125 elementary and secondary schools in Surrey Schools SD36 are staffed by teacher-librarians in library learning commons, implementing the district’s vision of programs that are aligned with Leading Learning standards.
The outstanding work in the district is driven by the vision of libraries as creative and collaborative hubs of learning that promote transliteracy, innovation, and inquiry.
Surrey Schools teacher-librarians strive to create safe places for all members of the school community to embrace and explore their passions, interests and learning needs. They receive strong support from district administrators and principals, who clearly understand the impact of the library learning commons program on student learning.
accepts the award.
CSL is delighted to share highlights of the outstanding, collaborative school library learning commons work in this district. This Surrey Schools website shows the significant impact that their library learning commons have on student learning.
These highlights demonstrate the excitement, rigour, and forward development of library learning commons standards in Surrey Schools SD #36. Additionally, teacher-librarians in Surrey Schools SD #36 are lifelong learners themselves; engaged locally, provincially, and nationally in the field of school librarianship. All of this would not be possible without strong support from district administrators and principals – if Surrey Schools SD#36 Library Learning Commons want to move forward in standards of practice they are supported to do so as their impact on student learning is evident.
The award was accepted by Surrey Schools Teacher Librarian Helper Teacher Andrea LaPointe and Director of Instruction: Priority Practices, Kathy Puharich. We are very pleased to share Kathy’s acceptance speech.
Award Acceptance Remarks from Kathy Puharich
and Andrea LaPointe
Good evening all,
It is with great honour, immense pride, and profound joy that I am here this evening, with Andrea, to accept on behalf of the Surrey School District, the Leading Learning Implementation Award. As the largest school district in British Columbia, Surrey Schools supports over 75,000 culturally diverse students in 125 school – all of which consistently have been staffed with teacher librarians.
Our Board of Education has historically maintained qualified teacher librarians throughout our school libraries, and more currently in our Library learning Commons. All elementary schools have teacher librarians. Those with over 500 students, receive 1 full-time teacher librarian, as do all our secondary schools.
In 2012, Surrey Schools began to strategically implement a district-wide transition from the school library model to the library learning commons model. This transformation was the catalyst for refocusing the programs and learning opportunities facilitated by our teacher librarians. Over the course of 10 years, all schools were awarded a significant district grant to purchase furniture and technology that supports participatory learning, collaboration, creativity, and innovation. For students and teachers, these changes have resulted in unique learning opportunities and improved access to the library collection.
Our teacher librarians, being uniquely positioned to support every student in every school, have played an important role in advancing literacy and learning. We know that we can create spaces with potential for meaningful learning opportunities but without the right people in the space, that learning won’t happen. Our Surrey teacher librarians are those right people and are a collaborative group of educators who engage in regular professional growth leading to intentionally develop programs the impact student learning. Thank you to each and every one of you for all you do, day in and day out, for our students.
I also want to thank our district’s Learning Resource Services Department for their centralized work including collection acquisitions, cataloguing, collection management and many other supports.
But without a doubt, significantly and enormously supportive is our District teacher librarian, Andrea LaPointe. Andrea has been instrumental in creating a collaborative community of teacher librarians. She regularly brings them together to actualize their shared values. She has been critical in leading, adapting and helping teacher librarians leverage their learning commons spaces to better support our learners. She is focused and laser-like. She is doing everything within her power to help teacher librarians, classroom teachers, and non-enrolling teachers “support makers and readers” who cooperate with their peers, problem solve, and think creatively and critically.
I’d like to extend final thanks to Canadian School Libraries for this award that we are receiving this evening. More specifically, I’d like to extend thanks to Judith Sykes, Anita Brooks Kirkland and Carol Koechlin.
Surrey started moving in the direction that it because of those leading and visioning Canadian School Libraries. Leading Learning is a foundational resource that is used in our district to guide professional development, committee work, as well as to measure growth. Because of this our recent library collection work includes conducting diversity audits, decolonizing Indigenous resources, and curating resources for the purpose of being culturally responsive and relevant, as well as diverse. The Diversity Toolkit from the Canadian School Library Association has been a terrific support to our teacher librarians as they continue this work.
Surrey Schools is deeply committed to responding to the diverse learning needs of our students. And, in part, it is because of the work of the Canadian School Libraries Association, that we are able to do so. Thank you for all you have done to support us in our Equity journey.
Once again, it is with deep gratitude and honour that we accept the Leading Learning Implementation Award.
Kathy Puharich, Director of Instruction: Priority Practices, Surrey School District, British Columbia
For more information about Surrey Schools’ award, please visit this news story on the main CSL website.