Stephanie Baker was recently named the 2024 “School Librarian of the Year” by the Virginia Association of School Librarians (VAASL).
The Great Neck Middle School library media specialist said she was honored and grateful.
“I love helping the students find just the right book at just the right time,” she said.
Students should feel comfortable interacting in a safe space outside the classroom, she said.
“That’s really important.”
Baker said she’s always been a reader. “I loved sitting in comfy chairs reading at the public library,” she said.
The First Colonial High School graduate earned a college degree in biology and elementary education from William & Mary.
She seriously considered a career studying the depths of the ocean.
But that changed during her first year at Princess Anne Elementary as a first-grade teacher. She loved teaching reading and admired how the school librarian, Kristin Hildum, creatively piqued students’ interest in reading.
“It looked like she was having so much fun,” Baker said. She shadowed her as suggested by their principal.
“That’s when I knew for sure I wanted to be a librarian.”
She earned a master’s degree and school library certification from Old Dominion University.
In 2008 she became librarian for Salem Middle School and four years later moved to Great Neck Middle.
The approximately 1,000 students have access to thousands of books in myriad genres.
Great Neck Middle principal Paige Scherr described the school’s library media center as “a hub of activity.”
“On any given day, you will see students playing chess, working puzzles and engaging with peers in the makerspace,” she said.
Scherr said Baker has ensured the library media center is a place where all students feel valued and included.
Baker was chosen as citywide “Librarian of the Year” in the fall of 2023 and then selected to represent the local region, made up of 20 area public school districts. One from each of seven regions in Virginia was considered for the statewide VAASL award.
The organization is recognized as the voice for excellence in Virginia’s school libraries and promotes lifelong learning and academic success for all students.
VAASL Awards and Scholarships Committee Chair Dr. Jessica Thompson said candidates were considered in part by their cooperative program planning, promotion of library services within the school and community, and participation in professional leadership organizations.
Baker has participated in workshops such as the National Endowment for the Humanities program on Saipan’s history.
Thompson praised her for sponsoring multiple student activities, including “Battle of the Books” teams, a contest sponsored by Virginia Beach Public Library. She is also vice president of membership for the Virginia Beach Library Association.
Baker oversees Great Neck Middle’s daily live morning broadcast by the student “Media Team” and has sponsored the school’s “Lunch Bunch” book clubs, newspaper club and National Junior Honor Society.
The “Academic Challenge” team under her leadership made it to the championship match in 2023.
During the recent VAASL conference in Williamsburg, Baker was presented with a crystal flame-shaped award and $500 for professional development.
“Her commitment to literacy and education is evident in her work with student clubs, technology integration and her role in managing library resources and advocating for diverse materials,” Thompson said.