Cos Cob School (CCS) Principal Gene Schmidt received the Connecticut Association of School Librarians (CASL) 2016 Administrators Award on Thursday, April 28. The CASL award honors an administrator “who provides necessary support for improving media services through encouragement and adequate funding for program maintenance and improvement.”
Mr. Schmidt’s nominator for the award, CCS Media Specialist Nancy Schwartz said, “In the three years that he has been at Cos Cob School, he has made amazing strides in helping me transform our tired but attractive media center into a bustling, beautiful learning commons that is indeed the heartbeat of the school.” In her nomination letter, Ms. Schwartz continues, describing the extent to which Mr. Schmidt supported the vision of a learning commons, by researching to understand its value, sourcing the funding, helping to build and paint the space, scouring summer yard sales for useful materials, and, ultimately, promoting the virtues of the program with CCS staff and families, and the community at large. The CCS Learning Commons provides a vibrant, student-centered environment for learning through research, collaboration, creation, and innovation.
This is the third consecutive year that GPS educators have been honored by CASL. Greenwich High School Media Specialist Alexandra Stevens received the 2014 CASL Carlton W. H. Erickson Award for having made an auspicious beginning in library media services. In 2015, GPS Media and Technology Program Coordinator Fran Kompar received the CASL Hilda and John Jay Award for making an extensive contribution to the library media profession.
Photo caption: 1) Cos Cob School (CCS) Principal Gene Schmidt with CCS Media Specialist and nominator Nancy Schwartz 2) Cos Cob School (CCS) Principal Gene Schmidt with CASL Awards Chair Jackie Galante