April is Sikh Heritage Month in Canada
Visit us this month in the School Library as we celebrate Sikh Heritage Month. Find out more about Sikhs, Sikhism and the history of the Sikh people in Canada. Visit us in person to check out our display of books and DVDs, and visit us online to learn more about Sikh Heritage Month.
Find out more:
The Sweet Sixteen of our March Madness: YA Lit Tournament wrapped up yesterday, leaving only 8 of the original 64 still standing.
In the Classic regional, Canada prevailed as Anne of Green Gables narrowly eliminated The Giver, 51-49. The big story, however, was seeing the only top seed fall through the first three rounds. #1 Little Women was upset by #5 The Book Thief, 59-41. So Australia’s Zusak takes on Canada’s Montgomery for a spot in the Final Four.
Both matchups were very close in the Current Issues regional, as all four titles have very strong fan bases. #1 The Hate U Give needed a last minute push to edge out The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The same was true for #2 Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe which just eked out a victory over the last remaining representative of this year’s Surrey Teens Read, Firekeeper’s Daughter. This upcoming contest looks far too close to call.
In Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Supernatural, top seed Harry Potter made surprisingly easy work of The Maze Runner, 66-34, while The Hunger Games eliminated Percy Jackson. So magical teens take on violent teens in the next stage.
In the “Battle of the John Green Novels,” top seed The Fault in Our Stars earned a comfortable win over Looking for Alaska. Meanwhile, #2 seed The Perks of Being a Wallflower knocked off Stargirl. So it is Green v. Chbosky in the Popular regional final.
With spots in the Final Four on the line, it promises to be an exciting week of voting in the Elite Eight. Go here to VOTE NOW.
Vote Now! We are down to the Sweet Sixteen in our March Madness YA Lit Tournament. There are some incredibly tight races so every vote counts. And don’t forget, each time you vote, your name goes into a draw for PRIZES!
Voting for the Sweet Sixteen closes after school today.
The Round of 32 is in the books. The number of voters was down, but that was expected over the March Break. Regardless, the results were still very compelling!
In the Popular YA regional, the higher seeds all advanced. The Perks of Being a Wallflower will move on to face Stargirl, which won a nail biter over Th1rteen R3asons Why. Meanwhile, it will be an all-John Green match-up as both The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska won their 2nd round games.
The Current Issues regional gave us one big upset, as #12 seed The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian shocked #4 Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Firekeeper’s Daughter advances, as does The Hate You Give, with a unanimous shutout over If You Could Be Mine. The closest battle saw Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe narrowly squeak by Long Way Down.
There were a few more shutouts in the Classic regional. Both Little Women and Anne of Green Gables crushed their opponents by unanimous decisions. The Book Thief cruised to a comfortable win over The Catcher in the Rye, while The Giver upset that book still found in English classrooms all over North America, The Outsiders.
The Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Supernatural regional also featured some shutouts. Top seeds Harry Potter and The Hunger Games both earned flawless victories. The Maze Runner handled Divergent, while in an upset unimaginable a decade ago, #6 Percy Jackson defeated #3 Twilight.
Now onto the Sweet Sixteen!
Madeleine Albright died on March 23, 2022.
Madeleine Albright was born in 1937 in Prague ( in what is now Czechia). Her family fled from both the Nazis and the Communists. The family first left the country after the German invasion of Czechoslovakia, returned after the end of the Second World War, only to flee again, this time from the Communists in 1948. Albright was a brilliant student who would go on to earn her PhD from Columbia University. She then served in both academic and government positions, providing expertise as a foreign policy advisor. In 1993 she became U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. In 1997 she became Secretary of State, the first female to be appointed to that prestigious position in the U.S. Cabinet.
Madeleine Albright leaves many legacies from her life of academics and public service, including the book Fascism: A Warning.
We really hope that you are enjoying your March Break.
Rest. Relaxation. Recreation. And reading. Lots and lots of reading.
And one more thing: Vote in the Round of 32 in March Madness. There are some great matchups in this round. Your votes are vital.
As the 2022 March Madness YA Lit Tournament got underway at your School Library, the dream of 64 competitors was to become March Madness Champions. Instead, suddenly it was all over for half of them. 32 books who were eliminated. Sent packing. Dreams crushed.
Most of the contests were very decisive, and went according to expectations, with the higher seeds advancing to the next round. However, there were a few upsets, and a number of matchups went right down to the wire.
As expected, all the Regional #1 Seeds cruised to victory. Harry Potter, Little Women, The Fault in Our Stars, and The Hate U Give all advanced, with Angie Thomas’ novel crushing Speak, 97-3. However, that wasn’t the largest margin of victory. That distinction went to #2 seed The Hunger Games, which obliterated Song of the Lioness with a 100-0 shutout.
As one might expect, the 8 v 9 contests were very close. Shadow and Bone just edged past The Marrow Thieves, and If You Could Be Mine squeaked by Dumplin’, both match-ups going to the final buzzer and 51-49 scores. However, those weren’t the only contests to finish 51-49, as All the Bright Places scared #3 If I Was Your Girl before a heartbreaking finish, while #4 Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was nearly upset by Dear Martin.
There were a few upsets. with two #10 seeds, Long Way Down and Infernal Devices advancing. The biggest upset of the round was #12 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian shocking #5 You Should See Me in a Crown.
Thanks to everyone who voted. We look forward to seeing how your votes give us some more surprises and tight match-ups in the Round of 32.
A few updates and reminders as we head into that wonderful time of year we call March Break!
March Madness continues. The “Round of 32” gets underway March 11 and will conclude on March 27. The “Sweet 16” round will start on the day we return to school, March 28. Be sure to vote in each round. Every time you vote, your name goes into the draw for PRIZES! Stay up-to-date with everything that is happening with March Madness by checking back HERE over the break.
Make sure that you have some good books to read over the Break. Come down to the School Library by the end of today to ensure that you can head into March Break with some good reading material. Staff are reminded that you can also peruse the March Break Library Cart that is making its way around the school.
Students and Staff are also reminded that for those that might not get the chance to come in person to the School Library today, over the March Break you can visit us online, and borrow one of our eBooks or other electronic resources. Find out more here.
We will be away on March Break when St. Paddy’s day rolls around on March 17. Remember to wear green that day– and remember that we are celebrating St. Paddy’s Day ALL MONTH LONG in the School Library.
IWD was March 8, but just like St. Paddy’s Day, we can’t possibly limit the celebration to 24 hours, so we are also celebrating International Women’s Day ALL MONTH LONG!
Voting continues in the opening round of March Madness. Go HERE to cast your votes as 64 YA novels compete in 1-on-1 matchups to advance to the Round of 32. Get your vote in for this round before the polls close at 2:30 on Thursday.
March Madness is open to all Lord Tweedsmuir students and staff, as well to “friends of the School Library” from the wider community!
Go here for more information on March Madness
64 titles go toe to toe in 32 matchups as the March Madness YA Lit Tournament gets underway today. Go here to place your votes: VOTING
Don’t forget to fill out your bracket. Go here: BRACKETS
Brackets must be handed in before the end of the Opening Round on March 10.
Win prizes for Voting. Win prizes for best Brackets. Find out more!
Some of the most anticipated matchups this round:
International Women’s Day is coming up soon, just a a few days away: Tuesday, March 8. We are celebrating all month long. Here are some books to help us learn more about the ongoing struggle for women’s rights in Canada and around the world.
Democracy is under attack in the world, and sadly, even here in Canada. Your democratic rights and freedoms as citizens in this country are built upon concepts such as voting rights; the rule of law; the equality of all people; freedom of thought, including political and religious beliefs; the freedom of the press; balancing government of the majority with protection of the rights of the minority; and more.
This week we celebrate and explore the freedom to read, which is interconnected with many other vital concepts, including freedom of expression, the the right to choose to read what you want to read, including access to information, the freedom to seek, use and share information and literature, all of which are integral to democratic citizenship.
Stereotypically, the library is seen as a quiet place, silent even, where not much happens. Yet the library, and especially the school library, has always been a target of censorship, and as such has always been in the middle of the ongoing struggle between democracy and the forces of authoritarianism. School libraries are now battlegrounds at the center of our current polarized political and cultural climate.
The recent news has been rife with reports of book challenges, book bannings– and terrifyingly, even book burnings– in many U.S. states, school districts, and school libraries. As Canadians we cannot assume that this is only an American problem. We must be vigilant in protecting our students’ freedom to read.
Freedom of expression rights are essential to education in a free and democratic society. These are the rights of everyone in the school community, including students. Teacher-librarians are charged with ensuring that those rights are acknowledged and respected.
Diane Oberg
Some students are fortunate enough to have many places to turn to for books and other sources of information. Collections at home, public libraries, books stores, and of course, the internet(!). However, access to those things may be very limited, censored, or non-existent for some students. The school library is often the safest and most accessible place for a wide variety of books and other sources of information that are relevant and essential for students.
All Canadians who value democracy have an interest in protecting and building up the institutions that support democracy. The school library is one of those institutions.
Read more about the vital role of the Teacher Librarians and of the school library play in protecting and empowering a student’s Freedom to Read:
“Freedom of Expression Rights and the School Library: Who Speaks for the Kids in Your School When the Censor Comes Calling?” by Diane Oberg (from FreedomtoRead.ca)
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 