Social and Emotional Learning and the School Library

MASL invites you to attend a panel discussion exploring ways school library programs can support social and emotional learning. The event will be held online on Thursday, August 19, 2021, from 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM. You will receive a certificate of participation, and the event will be recorded and available to members. 

As we prepare to enter the 2021-2022 school year, it is clear social and emotional learning will play an important role as we continue to navigate the pandemic and strive for equity. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. Anita Cellucci (teacher librarian), Ayesha Hall (SEL coordinator/school psychologist), and Dan Ryder (educational leader and innovator) will offer their thoughts on ways school library programs can support and lead these efforts. 

This webinar is free to MASL members. Non-members may register for $25. The $25 webinar registration fee includes one year of MASL membership and access to other MASL webinars during the membership year. A MASL membership will provide you with professional development opportunities, advocacy tools and resources, scholarships, and eligibility for MASL awards. 

To register, please visit https://maslibraries.org/event-4434518. 

We look forward to "seeing" you on August 19!

Panelist Bios:

Anita Cellucci is a teacher librarian at Westborough High School in Westborough, MA, committed to supporting the emotional life of her students.  In 2016, she was named a School Librarian of the Year Award Finalist by School Library Journal and Scholastic for her success creating a dynamic and collaborative safe haven for students within the school library. She is certified in mental health first aid through the National Alliance on Mental Health and has worked to spread the training to other area educators. After securing a two-year Library Services and Technology Act grant in 2015, she developed a mental wellness curriculum, prioritizing the library as a stigma-free space.

Ayesha Hall studied psychology at Clemson University in South Carolina and earned her school psychologist certification in 2010. As the Social Emotional Learning and Equity Resource Coordinator, Ayesha works with the Lewiston Public Schools Curriculum Team to promote learning and engagement by supporting the work of schools in developing and maintaining safe, welcoming, inclusive and enriching environments. She conducts school climate assessments, provides professional development and instructional coaching, creates connections to community partners/resources and serves as a consultant on each building’s school climate action/improvement plans.

Dan Ryder is a veteran classroom educator and learning facilitator at Overman Academy CRCS, a grades 7-12 project-based, student-centered public charter school in downtown Skowhegan, Maine.  He formerly served as Co-Founder and Education Director of the SUCCESS & INNOVATION CENTER at MT BLUE CAMPUS, an empathy-fueled makerspace + mentoring space for all students and faculty  In addition to his daily classroom practice, he serves as a design, development and delivery consultant for the US Department of State's Office of English Language Programs and co-authored INTENTION: Critical Creativity in the Classroom with his good friend, Amy Burvall.