Thomas Crossroads Elementary School Media Specialist Jennifer Harkleroad has been named the Media Specialist of the Year for the West Georgia region by the Georgia Library Media Association.

Harkleroad was named Coweta County Media Specialist of the Year earlier this year. The regional honor now places her in contention for the state of Georgia’s top media specialist honor.

The Georgia Library Media Association (GLMA) and the Georgia Association of Instructional Technology (GAIT) co-sponsor the Georgia School Library Media Specialist of the Year award to recognize K-12 library media specialists whose services have resulted in exemplary school library media programs.

Each school system may select one library media specialist for this award. From those chosen for the system level award, one media specialist is chosen as the district Library Media Specialist of the Year. Each district represents one of 16 regions in Georgia. The state Library Media Specialist of the Year will be announced later this year at the Georgia Council of Media Organizations (COMO) conference.

“Mrs. Harkleroad certainly deserves this honor,” said Thomas Crossroads principal Fate Simmons. “She is definitely an innovator in her area. She is excellent with students - excellent overall – and she is a giver and is always seeking out new things in the school to be involved in.” Simmons and Assistant Principal Karen Wyler nominated Harkleroad for the honor.

“It’s nice to be recognized for hard work, but there are so many media specialist out there serving their schools and their teachers doing the same thing. It’s nice to have recognition for media specialists generally,” said Harkleroad.

GLMA looks for a number of qualities in choosing a media specialist of the year, including a well-rounded media center program, technical proficiency, programming and reading incentives, curriculum support, and integration of classroom activities into the program.

In addition to her regular duties in the Thomas Crossroads media center Harkleroad directs a number of reading and technology programs in the school. Her list of current or recent honors and activities includes: Discovery Education Scholarship Winner (T+L2 Conference), a recipient of a We the People Bookshelf Grant (American Library Association), serving as the School Media Committee Chair, the Co-Chair of the National Geographic Geography Bee, the Communications Chair of Delta Kappa Gamma, the Chair of the School Sunshine Committee, the Chair of the school Spelling Bee, the Chair of the Hurricane Katrina Relief Committee, and serving on the serving on the school Technology Committee, the Coweta County Media Handbook Policy Committee, the Discovery Educator Network, the Thomas Crossroads School Building Leadership Team, the school Better Seekers Team, the Armed Forces Parade Committee, and the school system SACS Writing Committee. Harkleroad was also the Thomas Crossroads Elementary Teacher of the Year for 2006.

“I stay busy,” said Harkleroad. “I like being involved in things, and I absolutely love my job and try to focus on a new area each year.” This upcoming school year, Harkleroad said she wants to start a reading incentive for very young beginning readers and perhaps start a reading bowl at Thomas Crossroads that could compete in state-wide competitions.

Harkleroad’s mother – Geraldine Welch – was also a long-time Coweta County media specialist who was also a state media specialist of the year in 1990.

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