By Ebonie Thompson
The vision for the Freedom Middle School Media Center, located in Stone Mountain, Georgia, is for it to be truly the heart of the school. A warm and welcoming place for every student, staff member and parent everyday- to the best of their abilities. To achieve this, S.N.A.I.L.S (Special Needs and Inclusive Library Services) was added to the robust list of programming for the 2019-2020 school year.
S.N.A.I.L.S. gives all special education classrooms and the DHH (Deaf and Hard of Hearing) student population the opportunity to come into the media center with minimal distractions to read or enjoy story time, participate a literacy themed craft and even create and host programming for the FMS student body. The students also enjoy visits from PetPartners reading dogs, Maya and Story.
Achievements for the inaugural year include all special education students receiving a library card from the Dekalb County Public Library, two school wide events hosted by the DHH students to share their language, all students attending the S.N.A.I.L.S. program completed 15 books and their correlating activities, and a grant to further expand the programming for the 2020-2021 school year.
Fall 2020 will bring even more stimulating and inclusive programming to the fantastic students of Freedom. Follow the excitement at http://www.freedomms.dekalb.k12.ga.us/.
