Upper School

Looking for something to read?

Check out these suggestions from your public library



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June 18 + 19, 2016 Washington, DC

11AM – 6PM

Saturday & Sunday

Click here to register for FREE Tickets

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AP EXAMS are right around the corner

 

The Yarnall Library will be closed for AP exams from 8:00 a.m. until noon on May 2-6 and May 11-12.  The Library will also be closed from noon until 1:30 p.m. on 5/9 and from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on 5/12.  For a complete schedule of AP exams and locations, click here.

 

Need some last minutes study help?  There are practice questions and study tips available from the College Board, or you can find multiple links to practice exam questions at AP*Practice Exams and College Countdown.

 

Good luck!

 

image from studyhut.com

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ONLY ONE MORE DAY

to bring in your contributions for Empty Bowl

Upper School students are asked to bring in two large cans of diced, pureed, or whole canned tomatoes. Donations can be dropped off in the Library or at the US/MS/LS front desks (also Scott House and the carpool circles). 

You can click here for a list of additional items needed.

 

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Need a good book for a snowy day?

Stop by the Yarnall Library and check out one of these

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Welcome to Winter!

So, will El Niño make a difference in the amount of snow days we get this year?  Stop by the Library and gives us your prediction!  Follow the QR code on our display, or click here to tell us how much snow you think we will have this January.  Prizes will be awarded for the closest predictions!

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Alternatives to Black Friday

 

Outdoor apparel retailer REI recently made the news when they announced they would be closed on Black Friday.  Instead, they will be paying their employees to go out and practice what they preach -- be outdoors.  Here are some other alternatives to Black Friday:

 

Buy Nothing Day is a campaign to encourage consumers to boycott the whole concept of Black Friday. By deliberately choosing to buy nothing the day after Thanksgiving, we can choose not to buy into the pressure to find the best deals. The product of AdBusters, an anti-consumerist organization famous for their spoof ads, Buy Nothing Day involves complete abstinence from spending any money for a 24 hour period. Instead, reserve this day to enjoy time with friends and family sharing feelings of gratitude. Our purchases can be used to stimulate the economy in positive ways, but surely we can designate at least one day without consumption.

Small Business Saturday is a growing movement to encourage shopping at small, independently owned, local businesses the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Supporting these local shops is a reinvestment in your community, creating local jobs and giving the economy a boost. Your town’s Mom and Pop shops create a vibrant and prosperous community, and rival any shopping experience you could get at a chain or mall store.

 

Fair Tuesday is an ethical shopping initiative created in response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  Their goal is to inspire conscious consumerism and show how an everyday purchase can change lives in a whole community. By featuring fair trade, ethical, and eco-friendly brands, Fair Tuesday hopes to empower workers living in impoverished areas by providing a marketplace for ethically made, sustainable gifts handcrafted around the world.

Giving Tuesday is about creating a call of action to establish coordinated giving, much in the way retailers coordinate Black Friday sales. Retailers, charities, and organizations come together to inspire a day of giving and a celebration of the American traditions of volunteerism and philanthropy. So what can you do? Find ways you can get involved with volunteering in your area to give back to your own community. Look for gifts from companies that reflect your values and give back by donating a portion of their sales to charity. Support a non-profit or charity with a donation. Spread the word about the importance of giving back and join in the conversation on Twitter by following the hashtag #givingtuesday.

Shift Your Shopping is a collaboration of local business networks across North America asking everyone to support locally owned and independent businesses during the holiday season.  Their goal is to strengthen local economies, expand employment, and nurture a sense of community while creating more local jobs and overall prosperity.



Many thanks to blogger Sarah Mazzone of the "Made in USA Challenge" and her "6 Alternatives to Black Friday: Gift Giving You Feel Good About" post for the great suggestions.

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HallowRead
October 23, 2015 – October 24, 2015
Roger Carter Center, 3300 Milltowne Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043

Over thirty authors will visit historic Ellicott City for the third annual HallowRead book festival and mini-con Oct. 23-24, 2015. Featured events include author panels and signing opportunities, writing workshops and the “Haunted Ruins” haunted house at historic Patapsco Female Institute. New this year is a story time event for elementary and middle school readers. Tickets are required for most events.

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If you liked one of these books, follow its title link to a list of more books you'll enjoy (courtesy of the Montgomery County Public Library):

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Oooh, demons ahead! Watch out!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Romance, relationships, facing illness - get out the tissues.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

World War II, spying, aviation, and friendship.

Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Dealing with death.

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

Sports, friendship and support

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

If you have read the Harry Potter books (multiple times) and you fear you will never read anything like them again, here are some suggestions.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Paranormal mysteries.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Hoping to survive dystopias, wars, prisons, and extraterrestrial attacks?

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Falling in love.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Try these books about teens with mental illness.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Similar to the events in these suggested books, in today's world nearly half of all

girls report some form of physical aggression during the course of dating.

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Celebrate Banned Books Week 2015

September 27 - October 3

Banned Books Week is the American Library Association's annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Typically held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community -- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types -- in shared support of the freedom to seek and express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.  By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.  Stop by the Yarnall Library to see our Banned Books Display, or visit the Banned Books website -- http://www.ala.org/bbooks/ -- for more information and a list of the most frequently challenged books.

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The 2015 One Maryland One Book

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

The story of nine working-class American boys who rowed to victory in the 1936 Olympics is the One Maryland One Book pick for 2015.  The team’s friendship, shared adversity, and trust in each other helped them become the legendary team that defeated the most elite rivals, including the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler. 

Read a summary of the book and learn about Daniel James Brown

Watch the book trailer:

For more information on One Maryland One Book go to:  
http://www.mdhc.org/programs/one-maryland-one-book/
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Get the "Eyes on Pluto" App

After a journey of more than 9 years and 3 billion miles, the New Horizons spacecraft is ready for its up-close look at the Pluto system.

Using NASA's Eyes on the Solar System and simulated data from the New Horizons flight team you can ride onboard the spacecraft using the Eyes on Pluto app.

The picture view shows you where the spacecraft is looking and what its advanced instruments can see. You can use a “live” mode to see what New Horizons is doing right now, or preview the flyby of the Pluto System. The spacecraft will be busiest during the time of closest approach between July 13th and 15th 2015 where you will see the spacecraft turn from target to target as it flies past Pluto at over 30,000 miles per hour.

Go to http://eyes.jpl.nasa.gov/eyes-on-pluto.html to download the app.

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Free Online Test-Prep For The SAT

As of June 3, students — for free — can tap into new set of online study prep tools from the Khan Academy, the online education nonprofit.

To read more about it at NPR, click here

To access free SAT prep materials from the Khan Academy, click here

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Looking for something to read?

Here are some recommendations from the MCPS summer reading list that are currently available in the Yarnall Library:

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
In 1943, a British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France and the survivor tells a tale of friendship, war, espionage, and great courage as she relates what she must do to survive.

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan
Food expert Pollan recounts the story of his culinary education and explores the previously uncharted territory of his own kitchen, where he discovers that the cook occupies a special place in the world, standing squarely between nature and culture.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits who are smart enough to know that first love never lasts, but are both brave and desperate enough to give it a try.

Far Far Away by Tom McNeal
When Jeremy Johnson Johnson's strange ability to speak to the ghost of Jacob Grimm draws the interest of his classmate Ginger Boltinghouse, the two find themselves at the center of a series of disappearances in their hometown.

I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb
Describes the life of the young Pakistani student who advocated for women's rights and education in the Taliban-controlled Swat Balley, survived an assassination attempt, and became the youngest nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.

March, Book One by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin; illustrated by Nate Powell
This graphic novel is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.

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Baltimore Quaker

Peace & Justice

Committee Vigil

Friday, May 8 --- 5:00 p.m.

On May 1, over thirty Friends from at least six Meetings and Friends Schools of the Baltimore Yearly Meeting participated in a vigil at a busy intersection in front of the Homewood Friends Meeting House, sponsored by the Baltimore Quaker Peace and Justice Committee (a joint committee of Homewood and Stony Run Meetings - https://www.facebook.com/BQPJC).  The vigil for peace and justice will continue again this Friday, May 8, at at 5 p.m.

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Teen Writing Club at the Aspen Hill Library

Rockville, MD   ---   Monday, May  18, 2015   ---   6:15 - 7:45 PM   ---   for ages 11 - 18

• Discover techniques for creative writing
• Experiment with writing exercises
• Get constructive feedback on your own writing
• Learn how to revise your own work
• Meet others who share your love of writing

http://www.outoftimemedia.com/

Presented by Robin Stevens Payes, creator of Out of Time - "storytelling by tweet"
Sponsored by the Maryland Writers' Association
For more information, contact the Aspen Hill Library Information Desk, 240-774-9410
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library/branches/aspenhill.html

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April 22 is Earth Day

Looking for ways to celebrate?

free concert and rally

Global Citizen 2015 Earth day - SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015

To mark the 45th Anniversary of Earth Day, the Global Poverty Project and the Earth Day Network present this free event  from 11 am to 7 pm on the Washington Monument Grounds.

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/2015earthday/

RE-CYCLE YOUR ART OUT!

TAKOMA PARK’S VERY OWN TRASHY ART CONTEST IS BACK AT THIS YEAR’S TAKOMA PARK EARTH DAY FESTIVAL - April 19, 2015

Prizes will be awarded in adult and children categories for the most imaginative use of re-cycle-able materials.  Open to all ages and all types of non-smelly Trash!  No Size Limit - Up to 2 entries per person. To participate, just drop off your “trashy art” at the Trashy Art Contest table between 10 am and 2 pm on the day of the festival.  Winners will be announced at 3:30 pm at the Takoma Park Earth Day event!

http://www.mainstreettakoma.org/featured-events/earth-day-takoma-park/

be a hero of the anacostia river!

ANacostia watershed society's 2015 Earth Day Cleanup & Celebration - Saturday, APRIL 25, 2015

Volunteer with the Anacostia Watershed Society in their annual Earth Day Cleanup from 9 am to 12 pm at approx. 20 sites around DC, Montgomery, and Prince George's County. Then join in the volunteer heroes celebration from 12 pm to 2 pm at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park, with free food, live music, exhibitors, and speakers.

http://www.anacostiaws.org/earthday2015/

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Upcoming April Events
  brought to you by the Smithsonian Institution



A first-of-a-kind National Math Festival comes to the Smithsonian on Saturday, April 18th. The free day of events includes dozens of activities for every age—from a self-guided solar system tour to Houdini-like magic getaways.

Learn more





National Youth Summit on the War on Poverty
Webcast for High School Students

A On April 28, the National Museum of American History hosts a live webcast on the history and legacy of the Johnson administration's War on Poverty

Learn more and register

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March is Women's History Month

Come see our book display in the Library!

Click on the links below to find other local libraries celebrating women's history:

DC Public Library

Library of Congress

University of Maryland Hornbake Library

Notable Women of Montgomery County videos