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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 2019)
NEWS Wednesday, OctOber 2, 2019 HerMIstOnHeraLd.cOM • A7 Spoo recognized for supporting the library By JESSICA POLLARD STAFF WRITER Hermiston School Dis- trict’s secondary librarian, Delia Fields, was hesitant at first to nominate the dis- trict’s high school princi- pal, Tom Spoo, for an award that would recognize him for supporting the school’s library program. For almost a decade, the only people receiving the Distinguished Service Award for school adminis- trators had been on the other side of the state. Pat Con- soliver, then-principal of The Dalles Middle School, was honored in 2010. “It’s just a different makeup for many of those schools,” she said. “We’re not amazingly flashy. We don’t have an urban center. We’re understaffed.” Some of the administra- tors nominated in the past oversaw schools in which single libraries housed two certified librarians. At the Hermiston School District, two librarians split their time between eight differ- ent school libraries, over- seeing thousands of kids each. But once she started writing Spoo’s nomination letter, she knew she had a winner. Spoo was selected to receive the award earlier this month. “We’re still doing great work. And Tom is part of Hermiston Herald file photo Hermiston High School principal Tom Spoo accepts an award as Hermiston School District’s Administrator of the Year in February 2017. what makes us successful,” Fields said. Spoo said he wasn’t expecting to win the award, and doesn’t like the spot- light, but he is appreciative to be recognized for support- ing the library. “I trust people to do their jobs,” he said. “Sometimes that means stepping back and not micro-managing.” Fields said she feels that he’s someone who will take her seriously when she brings new ideas for the library program to the table. “He wears so many hats, I’ve had to learn how to slip in questions and pitches. Sometimes I come out with a losing hand, but most of the time if I have a solid plan with low cost, he’s very positive,” she said. Fields knew he really cared when he started bring- ing in books to process into the high school library’s system himself. “He’s starting to recog- nize that he and I have a partnership that helps the whole school,” she said. Spoo will receive the Distinguished Service Award next month during the Oregon Association of School Libraries conference in Lincoln City. This year, Hermiston School District libraries will participate in the Bat- tle of the Books and create a system that allows teach- ers to easily search through the library catalogue online. Fields, who is a regional representative for the Ore- gon Association of School Libraries, said she has rea- son to believe that Spoo is one of only a handful of administrators in Eastern Oregon who oversee library programs that staff certified librarians. She said other schools have libraries and assistants to help run them, but no cer- tified librarians to help stu- dents navigate information in the digital age. “People see assistants and think information lit- eracy services are happen- ing,” she said. “But they’re not.” Spoo said that he’s noticed a difference in the district’s library services since some library positions were cut over a decade ago. “It was budget cuts, I would have done the same thing,” he said. “But you look back now and think, ‘gosh, there is validity to having librarians’.” He added that in the dig- ital age, students need extra help determining the valid- ity of different source mate- rials online. “That’s why librarians are so critical now,” he said. Win Cash, FreePlay, Treats or a 2019 GMC Sierra! OVER $10,000 IN CASH AND FREEPLAY EVERY WEEK! Drawings every Friday, Saturday & Sunday GRAND PRIZE DRAWING Three winners Sunday, November 3, 10pm 2019 GMC $5,000 $2,000 CASH FREEPLAY SATURDAY OCTOBER 26 OUR BIGGEST BINGO OF THE YEAR! No masked costumes. Female AC/DC Join us for a rockin’ Tribute Band y t r a p & t r e c n o c n e free hallowe Drink Specials Costume Contest SAVE $10 PER TICKET Now thru Nov 1 Prizes AND MORE! SATURDAY NOVEMBER 23 Must be 21+ to attend. MICKEY GILLEY JOHNNY LEE Tickets on sale now in person at Wildhorse Gift Shop or wildhorseresort.com 40,000 40,000 Bingo Bingo $ $ PAPER ONLY EVENT DAUB BY HAND AND WIN A GRAND! SECURE YOUR SEAT ONLINE! Now through October 18 or buy-in at the door if seats are still available. For session times and more info visit wildhorseresort.com ® CASINO • HOTEL • GOLF • CINEPLEX • RV • MUSEUM • DINING • TRAVEL PLAZA 800.654.9453 • PENDLETON, OR • I-84, EXIT 216, wildhorseresort.com. Owned and operated by CTUIR Management reserves all rights to alter, suspend or withdraw promotions/offers at any time.
