Congratulations to Burnette ES Media Specialist Traci Costilow. She’s Gwinnett County Public Schools’ 2020 GCPS Library Media Specialist of the Year!
At the core of Ms. Costilow’s media program is her focus on promoting a love of reading. Her current and diverse media collection appeals to students and her “Book Talk Tuesday” segments air on the school’s morning news show. Through a variety of programs, Ms. Costilow motivates students to “increase their stamina” as readers. Students reap the rewards of reading—including free books for their home library selected from Ms. Costilow’s “Book Wagon” and from the GCPS Book Mobile each spring.
As the leader of the largest classroom in the school, Ms. Costilow is passionate about infusing technology into instruction. Through her video conferencing system, she shows students how technology can bring the world to their school. Burnette ES students have made virtual visits to the National World War II Museum, met popular children’s authors, and participated in the Global Read Aloud with schools in Maryland and Michigan.
Ms. Costilow’s leadership helped earn her school earn recognition as the Georgia Library Media Association’s (GLMA) Exceptional Library Media Program in 2019. She will now go on to compete for the Metro Area Library Media Specialist of the Year award sponsored by the GLMA.