Gretchen has been Head Librarian at Kilmer Middle School for the past 18 years; she feels incredibly lucky to be exactly what she wants to be when she grows up. She loves working with her co-librarian, teaching information literacy and critical thinking skills, sharing young adult literature, and collaborating with teachers to plan hands-on engaging lessons.
Gretchen is committed to professional development and leadership. She was elected by colleagues as a member of Kilmer’s Faculty Advisory Committee to the Principal, serves on the Kilmer Instructional Leadership Team, and the Kilmer Equity Team. At the county level, she has been a member of the Fairfax County Public Schools Library Advisory Committee, a group of librarians committed to sharing best practices with librarians throughout the district. In 2014, she established the Kilmer Makerspace in the library--among the first of its kind in her school district--to help her students create, invent, and learn.
Gretchen and her collaborator, Corey Thornblad, created the website and blog BubbleUp Classroom with the aim to share instructional ideas for writing, critical thinking, and creativity in all classrooms. She has presented with colleagues at conferences on the national, regional, state, and local levels, including ASCD Empower, American Association of School Librarians, Computers in Libraries, Virginia Association for School Librarians, the Virginia Council for the Social Studies annual conferences, as well as at county-wide in-services and events.
Gretchen strives to serve her profession through volunetering with the Virginia Association of School Librarians and has been Potomac Regional Directoor and VAASL social media chair. Gretchen was also selected as a member of the very first AASL Induction Program Cohort and awarded 2016 Virginia School Librarian of the Year by the Virginia Association of School Librarians,
Gretchen’s previous experience includes working as the Education & Outreach Coordinator at the New York Academy of Medicine Library where she managed the Junior Fellows program for middle and high school students interested in health and medical fields, supported the research interests of Academy divisions, and offered training to the public. Gretchen also worked as a corporate librarian at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in New Brunswick, NJ, opearing a full-service library for regulatory professionals worldwide. Prior to J&J, she was as part of the library team at Grey Advertising in New York.
Gretchen holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and History from Boston College and a Master of Library Studies from Rutgers University in New Jersey. She attended McLean High School in Fairfax County and is proud to now teach students in the same school district from which she graduated. Outside of work, Gretchen loves spending time with friends and family, including her husband and her two boys.
Gretchen is committed to professional development and leadership. She was elected by colleagues as a member of Kilmer’s Faculty Advisory Committee to the Principal, serves on the Kilmer Instructional Leadership Team, and the Kilmer Equity Team. At the county level, she has been a member of the Fairfax County Public Schools Library Advisory Committee, a group of librarians committed to sharing best practices with librarians throughout the district. In 2014, she established the Kilmer Makerspace in the library--among the first of its kind in her school district--to help her students create, invent, and learn.
Gretchen and her collaborator, Corey Thornblad, created the website and blog BubbleUp Classroom with the aim to share instructional ideas for writing, critical thinking, and creativity in all classrooms. She has presented with colleagues at conferences on the national, regional, state, and local levels, including ASCD Empower, American Association of School Librarians, Computers in Libraries, Virginia Association for School Librarians, the Virginia Council for the Social Studies annual conferences, as well as at county-wide in-services and events.
Gretchen strives to serve her profession through volunetering with the Virginia Association of School Librarians and has been Potomac Regional Directoor and VAASL social media chair. Gretchen was also selected as a member of the very first AASL Induction Program Cohort and awarded 2016 Virginia School Librarian of the Year by the Virginia Association of School Librarians,
Gretchen’s previous experience includes working as the Education & Outreach Coordinator at the New York Academy of Medicine Library where she managed the Junior Fellows program for middle and high school students interested in health and medical fields, supported the research interests of Academy divisions, and offered training to the public. Gretchen also worked as a corporate librarian at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) in New Brunswick, NJ, opearing a full-service library for regulatory professionals worldwide. Prior to J&J, she was as part of the library team at Grey Advertising in New York.
Gretchen holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and History from Boston College and a Master of Library Studies from Rutgers University in New Jersey. She attended McLean High School in Fairfax County and is proud to now teach students in the same school district from which she graduated. Outside of work, Gretchen loves spending time with friends and family, including her husband and her two boys.