Let's Turn Books into Bricks

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      Later this month, seventh graders at Dixon Middle School will be turning books into bricks. That's right! In an ambitious effort to promote student literacy, cultivate global awareness, and encourage service-learning, Dixon's English Department is sponsoring a Read-a-Thon. This three week-long initiative, called "Reading for Hope", will raise funds to build a school in Mali, Africa. In Mali nearly two-thirds of the more than 11,700 rural villages have no schools.
      Participating students will solicit pledges and donations beginning March 15th and continuing through April 4th. On that day we will celebrate the generosity of students, families, community members, and business leaders in a cultural and literary event in Dixon's Library from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.  Representatives of the Utah-based Mali Rising Foundation will be on hand to receive our donation, as well as education and community leaders.
      As part of our "Reading For Hope" initiative, we are proud to announce that Dixon Middle School has been chosen to host "Faces of Mali", an exhibit celebrating life in the West African nation. Made possible by the generosity of the Utah Arts Council, this exhibit will help students and community members feel a closer connection to the people we're working so hard to help. We invite students and families to visit this striking gallery of framed photographs in our library at any time during school hours.
      If you would like information about how to support our Read-a-Thon, please contact Lon Young at lony@provo.edu, or visit our school website at www.dms.provo.edu.

New in our Library

A Century of Heroes, is a book compiled by Trevor Chadburn of Provo. It contains stories of veterans from World War I right up to the war in Afghanistan. In November of 2011,  as a member of the Timpview High Marching Band, Trevor participated, along with students in twenty-two other bands, in the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Inspired by his experiences and wanting to help preserve the stories of the great men and women who have served this country Trevor set about preparing this book as his Eagle Scout project.

 
Members of our Dixon community will be especially interested in reading the account of Jack Rollins. He is the father of Mrs. Patricia Drussel. The book relates his experience of being shot down over Vietnam and subsequent detention as a prisoner of war in the Hanoi Hilton. He was held for six and a half years before returning to his family. This book will be an absolute treasure for our students and teachers. We thank Trevor for completing this inspiring project and for giving Dixon a copy.

Additions to our library collection.

Our library has just been gifted the 2012 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia.  Our benefactor is the Hattie D. Munk Foundation. For a number of years now we have received some beautiful reference materials which have been purchased by the State Office of Education with the funds from this generous endowment. We are indeed grateful to the Hattie D. Munk Foundation for providing valuable reference resources for our students.

Provo Reads with Rebecca Stead and Madeleine L"Engle

Newbery Award Winning Author Visits Dixon

This year two Newbery Award Winners are featured in the city's Provo Reads program sponsored by Provo City Library. We hope many of our families are enjoying reading these selections together. It is the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, the 1963 Newbery Medal winner. The second selection, When You Reach Me, was the 2010 medal winner.

Author, Rebecca Stead, flew from New York to be in Provo on Tuesday for an appearance at the Provo City Library in the evening. Dixon Middle School was privileged to have Mrs. Stead come for a few hours in the morning. She visited three English classes, then met with a large group in the library. She gave a warm and personable talk about the origins and development of her book, When You Reach Me. A Wrinkle In Time served as a significant inspiration for her book and much of its content was drawn from Mrs. Stead's own experiences growing up in New York.

Both of these books count for the reading contest underway! Remember to sign your English teacher's list when you complete the reading. You can earn a class reward (banana splits or....), and you can help win $$$$ for our Dixon library. That will help us to buy new books.

February - Black History Month

Our students have noticed a great feeling of sadness as they have viewed the Civil Rights era display. The events of the civil rights movement are highlighted by books such as: Getting Away With Murder - The True story of the Emmett Till Case, Rosa Parks - My Story, Hoods - The Story of the Klu Klux Klan, Martin Luther King - Stride Toward Freedom, The Power of One - Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine, Freedom Walkers - The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Freedom Riders, and Freedom's Children. As we delve into these stories we gain a solemn understanding of how much effort and sacrifice was required for every little bit of progress achieved. We need to express our gratitude for the courageous efforts of so many who helped America move closer to living the principles upon which our constitution is based.

Now, in February we can celebrate Black History Month. We owe the celebration, and more importantly, the study of black history, to Dr. Carter G Woodson. The son of former slaves, Woodson spent his childhood working in Kentucky coal mines. At the age of twenty he enrolled in high school, graduated within two years and went on to earn a PHD from Harvard. In his studies he was disturbed to find that history books largely ignored the black American population, and when they did enter the picture they were seen only in the positions of inferior social standing that they were assigned at the time.

Woodson, one who acted on his ambitions, took on the challenge of writing black Americans into the nation's history. In honor of the work Dr. Carter G. Woodson has done to promote the study of African American History, an ornament of Woodson hangs on the White House Christmas tree each year.

Our display for Black History Month features many "firsts" for black Americans and highlights how they have enriched our society once they were allowed the opportunity to participate in the various fields of endeavor: Sports, Music and Dance, Film and Television, Military, Science and Medicine, Scholarship, Literature, Government, Law and Diplomacy. Come in and read about some truly awesome individuals.

Martin Luther King Day ~ January 16, 2012

The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.


Welcome to a new calendar year at Dixon! This month, as we approach the national civil rights holiday, on January 16th, we are reviewing some of the events that have punctuated the civil rights movement in our country. Please come to the library and view the 3 D timeline and book display which spotlight Dr. Martin Luther King and his courageous leadership. He helped to guide so many to make the heroic efforts that were needed before simple freedoms and a sense of dignity could be enjoyed by a large number of our population. Those freedoms, even though promised by our constitution, were not given freely to all, in the beginning. It literally took years of blood, sweat and tears to make one small advancement at a time. Do we understand what has happened to bring us to where we are today? Do we understand why we honor Dr. King with a national holiday? Students I would love to give you a school spirit pen for taking a quiz and sharing a personal comment about the civil rights movement.  See you in the library.

New Reads

Mr. Sites recently gifted two of John Grisham's books to our library, Theodore Boone - kid lawyer, and Theodore Boone - the abduction. Grisham, a master of legal suspense, has authored 21 novels, mostly legal thrillers, one work of non fiction and one collection of stories. His books have been translated into 38 languages, an impressive indicator of their widespread appeal.

                    


Theodore Boone, a thirteen year old courtroom champion, is an engaging character. His abilities are well recognized by his school friends who routinely appeal to him for advice regarding their families' legal worries. I recommend these two titles for enjoyable reads.

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