Reflection On My Senior Project, by Niara

It has been two weeks since Senior Projects began. I have spent two wonderful weeks working in the Library, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. In the Library I created a pathfinder as a guide to Native American resources, books, and more. I feel that Native Americans are often overlooked in American society today, and as a method for combating that, I worked on my pathfinder in the library. Most of the resources and books on the pathfinder can be found within the Edith Hamilton Library. I used the catalogue to sort the majority of our Native American collection by author, type, and other categories. In the pathfinder, I also created a tab for recommendations for movies, authors, and people of interest. All of the recommendations can be found outside of the Edith Hamilton.

On Thursdays I spent time outside of the library in Baltimore City, working at the Baltimore American Indian Center (BAIC). There, my supervisor had me organize and beautify the education center. I gained more experience sorting books and learning about Native authors through my work at the BAIC. A lot of what I learned at the BAIC, in the Library, and in my American Indian Studies and History classes overlapped. It was very interesting to see how Native Americans’ long history with this country affects them in present day life, outside of the textbooks. It was also a wonderful experience to learn about and understand someone else’s culture. I hope that this pathfinder can be used as a tool to help Bryn Mawr students and teachers better understand Native people and their role in this country.

http://brynmawrschool.libguides.com/content.php?pid=698620

Students Have the Power

Bryn Mawr School Summer Reading 2016

On May 17, 2016, the eighth grade joined the Upper School for its annual Summer Reading Convocation, during which students have the power! At the Bryn Mawr School, each student chooses a recommended book to read along with the required reading for the summer. All of the recommended books are nominated by the students’ peers, making summer reading for the students, from the students.

This year, there were twelve nominations by students from eighth to eleventh grade. They are as follows: The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde; The List, by Siobhan Vivian; Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen; Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury; An Invisible Thread,  by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski; Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissinger; In the Woods, Tana French; The Young Elites, Marie Lu; Zone One, Colson Whitehead; I'll Give You the Sun, Jandy Nelson; The Story of Seeds: From Mendel’s Garden to Your Plate and Why There’s More of Less to Eat in The World, by Nancy Castaldo; and All American Boys, by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.

Each student gave a short persuasive speech about why her peers should read the book she nominated. Topics ranged from gender identity and sibling relationships, to zombies, to seeds. While a student claimed one book opens up a conversation about police brutality in our society (All American Boys), another said, “you’ll be swept up in it like you’re watching a thriller on the big screen.” (Nyx Deane Polyak The Young Elites)  Ellie Citron 2018 (In the Woods) said, “For me, one of the saddest things about reading a book is its ephemeral nature. You read the book, fall in love, and then it’s over!” Summer is ephemeral; it comes, we fall in love, and then it’s over. But you have the chance to make your summer experience last by picking up one of these books. While reading the book may be transitory, the mark it may leave on you is not. You have the power to make summer memorable. Happy Reading!

Niara Robinson (‘16) is working on part of her senior project in the Edith Hamilton Library, and the other part at the Baltimore American Indian Center. After graduating, she will be attending New York University in the fall.