The NEHS Chapter Spotlight project shares examples of outstanding literacy work being undertaken by chapters around the world. Categories for submission are Academic Focus; Community Engagement; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Collaborative Projects. In this edition, the Where The Wild Kids Are NEHS Chapter at Trumbull High School in Trumbull, CT, shares details about their chapter initiative.
12 Days of Reading at Trumbull High School
Trumbull High’s B hallway is a bridge almost every student crosses each day to get to and from their classes. Since our committee’s inception in May of our junior year, the Bulletin Board Committee has had a vision for our once barren hallway: to create appealing and educational bulletin boards. Our nine committee members would become its architects, spreading positivity, awareness, and good books, and we were up to the task.
Wasting no time, we started our first project titled “Summer Reads” before the summer vacations could take away all of our potential viewers. Consisting primarily of a summer reading list and outgoing senior quotes, our bulletin board left students craving more. Shortly before the new school year began, we met in late August to construct our September bulletin, “Back 2 Books.” Draped with multitudes of books, the Bulletin Board Committee intended for every student to find at least one cover that would re-energize their reading brains. We concluded the fall with two boards: “Don’t Be Spooked by These Books!” highlighting book titles banned within schools, and “NEHS is Thankful For . . . ” encouraging gratitude amongst passersby, hoping to inspire a fall season of awareness and reflection. As we entered the holiday season, we knew we had to end the calendar year with a bang.
We brainstormed a winter-themed board, inclusive of all holidays, that would be interactive for students to encourage literary engagement. We decided upon “12 Days of Reading,” hoping to bolster our interaction with a daily story with a boomerang reveal of a holiday or winter themed book on our chapter’s Instagram page @nehs_THS.
Some members hand-cut paper presents and winter-themed characters, some selected books and wrote blurbs, some traveled up and down to the printer, and others assembled the full masterpiece on the wall. In just two hours, we turned our little corner of Trumbull High School into a winter literary wonderland.
After posting our first reveal, which was Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy, we received positive feedback and interest; curiosity was piqued as peers would come up to us asking what books were next to be revealed. One student told us, “I would intentionally walk down B-Hall just to see what the NEHS board would say, even if I had no classes in that hall that day.” We even had staff members who were excited by our boards, such as a social studies teacher who said, “The NEHS board is dynamic and is a great representation of cultures and books. I really loved how for the 12 Days of Christmas, not only did they put up an image of that book, but they also posted the book’s description on Instagram and detailed its contents.”
Our intention was to create a festive seasonal board that sent students off on their winter break with new titles to add to their TBRs, and our mission was accomplished. Now that we have set the standard high, it is up to us to keep these incredible boards going into 2024.
Talia Cook, Michael Cross, Kaya Patel, and Rebecca Sexton are four seniors at Trumbull High School who are also dedicated members of the NEHS Bulletin Board Committee for the THS Wild Things Chapter of NEHS. They are committed to promoting literacy within our school community with their creative, engaging, and informational bulletin boards.
Chapter Spotlights
NEHS encourages chapters to participate in the Chapter Spotlight opportunity, sharing outstanding literacy work being done at the chapter level across the society. Chapters are asked to send information and documentation in any of the categories listed below. The NEHS Advisory Council will select the best of the submissions as “spotlight” chapters that will be recognized through NEHS social media outlets and the NEHS Museletter blog; selected chapters will receive a $50 award and a certificate.
All chapters submitting documentation of their excellent work automatically become eligible for the Outstanding Chapter Award presented in the spring. Chapters are limited to three submissions in a year, and each submission should be from a different category. Chapters must submit evidence of their work by attaching documents, including pictures and/or videos, to the submission form. Submissions may only be made during designated periods throughout the year (see schedule below). Only active chapters may send submissions; inactive or suspended chapters must become current with fee payments and members enrollments before submitting projects. Members of the NEHS Advisory Council will review submissions and select the “spotlight” chapters.
Categories
1. Academic Focus
This category will demonstrate how a chapter works to establish or maintain a project focused on supporting the academic growth of a target audience within their school or local community.
2. Community Engagement
The purpose of this category is to demonstrate how NEHS chapters are focused on promoting life-long learning and the celebration of reading, writing, film, and the arts in their local community.
3. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
This category will demonstrate how NEHS chapters are promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in various forms within their school or local community.
4. Collaborative Projects
The purpose of this category is to demonstrate how NEHS chapters are working with other NEHS chapters, other high school Honor Societies, or Sigma Tau Delta and Sigma Kappa Delta chapters on collaborative projects impacting their school or local community.
Application Dates
Applications for the winter 2023-2024 Chapter Spotlight cycle will be accepted April 15 – 29, 2024, with acceptances announced May 23.
Learn more about contributing a Chapter Spotlight!
Past Chapter Spotlights
Danbury High School
QSI International School of Shenzhen
The Woodlands College Park High School
Socastee High School
Instituto Blaise Pascale
Livonia Churchill High School
Heritage High School
Bear Creek High School
Best-Shirey-Little Chapter
