Seneca Middle School

About the Staff
 

Cassie Owens Moore is an enthusiastic teacher, book advocate, and bibliophile. Her greatest passion is connecting and talking to students about books.  Ms. Moore taught ELA for 18 years before becoming a librarian in 2021.  She is a South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) member.  Ms. Moore graduated from their Emerging Leaders program in 2023 and holds the Intellectual Freedom Chair position on the SCASL Board of Directors.  Ms. Moore received her undergraduate degree from USC-Upstate, her Master's from Columbia College, and her School Librarian certification from Marshall University. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Communication and Information Sciences with a concentration in Library and Information Studies from the University of Alabama. Ms. Moore states, “Being a public school librarian is my dream job, and I am honored to work with the fabulous students and faculty at Seneca Middle School.”

Lee Ann Stephens has worked in the Seneca Middle School library for over 20 years as the Media Assistant and Webmaster.  She has a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia as well as additional graduate work in the legal field.  She is an avid reader who finds great joy in connecting students with their "just right" book.  She has also been chosen as the Seneca Middle School Support Employee of the year multiple times.

About the Library

• The library consists of over 13,500 books and other materials.

• Students and faculty can locate materials in the library by logging into our Destiny online card catalog system. Students can also log in using their login and password to view their personal circulation records and reserve and recommend titles.

• Students must use their school ID to use the self-checkout stations.

• Students may check out three items if they do not have any missing books or other materials.

• The check-out period for all library materials is two weeks.  If students still need to complete a book, they may renew it for two more weeks.

• Students will need to pay the cost to replace missing or damaged books.

• Students may use copiers and printers for classroom projects.  Please ask for assistance.

Using the Destiny Card Catalog, students can find books independently.

The self-checkout system is easy for students to use.
 

Awards, Accolades, and Achievements
 

Ms. Moore, individually, and the library program as a whole have been recognized with numerous awards, accolades, grants, etc. which are outward indicators of the quality of the SMS library experience.  However, just stepping into the library and speaking with our student and staff patrons will confirm its quality regardless of any awards received.

Awards

• 2021 School District of Oconee County Teacher of the Year
• 2021 National Humanities Teaching African American History Selected Participant
• 2023 South Carolina Association of School Librarians Emerging Leader
• 2023 South Carolina Department of Education Leadership Enrichment and Development Selected Participant
• 2024 South Carolina Library Program of the Year
• 2024 National Education Association Global Learning Fellow
• 2024 South Carolina State House Commendation
• 2024 Travelers Insurance Award for Teaching Excellence (one of only 48 recipients nationwide)
• 2025 National Education Association Teaching Fellow
• 2023-2026  University of Alabama Graduate Fellow
• 2025 Seneca Community Educator Award
• 2025 Proclamation for Project Lit from Seneca City Council
• 2025 Johnsons Scholar for Civic Education
• 2025-2026 National Humanities Center Teacher Advisory Board
• 2025-2026 Smithsonian Institute Learning Lab Cohort
• 2024-2026 Leaders for Just Schools Cohort
• 2025 aiEDU Trailblazers Fellowship for AI Literacy

Conference Presentations

• 2024 - DEI: Developing, Equipping, and Influencing a Reading Culture in Your School, March 2024, South Carolina Association for School Librarians
• 2024 - The Power of a Representational Library, SCASL Summer Institute, June 2024
• 2024 - From Pages to Progress: Building a Sustainable Reading Culture in Secondary Schools, October 2024, Olde English Consortium
• 2024 - Concerned About Censorship? Just A.S.K. Advocacy, Support, and Knowledge during Challenging Librarian Times, October 2024,  SCASL Midlands Fall Workshop
• 2025 - EASE into the Joy of Reading: Equity, Accessibility, Student-input, and Environment, March 2025, SCASL Precon
• 2025 - The Reading Culture Podcast

Other Presentations

• Center for Educator Wellness and Learning (CEWL) Books Content Creator, 2022-present
• Books and Brunch,  Blue Ridge Community Center, August 2024
• Rise and Read, Pendleton Community Center, September 2024
• Interviewed the Author Spotlight, Kwame Alexander, Pat Conroy Literary Festival, November 2024
• Everything But the Lesson Plan Podcast Guest, December 2024

Community Engagement

• Board of Directors, Seneca City Museums, 2022-present
• BookEnds Community Book Share Facilitator, 2022-present
• Board of Directors, South Carolina Association of School Librarians, 2023-present

Grants & Donations

• Student Success Grant, National Education Association, $5000--Start the Project Lit Club, 2022
• Envision Equity Grant, National Education Association, $5000--Free Book Fair, 2024
• South Carolina Library Program of the Year, $1500 from Bedford Falls--New graphic novels and chapter books
• Fall 2024 Book Fair Vouchers, $800--Provided 75 students with a $10 voucher for book fair purchases
• Trailblazer Reading Award from Beanstack--$100
• City of Seneca--$750
• Envisions Equity National Education Association - $5000 for Ebook/Audiobooks 

Beanstack
 

Beanstack is a library-sponsored online tool allowing students and staff the ability to log their reading, either by the minute or by the book.  At Seneca Middle School, it is used as a school-wide motivational competition in which students, faculty, and staff log their reading minutes and books in order to reach a common school goal. In its inaugural year of use, the participation in and enthusiasm for the program have been phenomenal and the competition among the grade levels has been fierce. 

Beanstack Statistics (as of the end of December)

410, 707 total minutes logged by students and staff!

C.O.O.L. Cat Club
 

The C.O.O.L. (Celebration of other Languages) Cat Club meets in the library on the Thursday of the last week of each month after school from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm.  Sponsored by Mr. Hernandez, our Bilingual Facilitator and Ms. Moore, the club members learn about different countries and cultures through art projects, music, games and even dancing.  Even more, the participating students, who themselves come from a number of different backgrounds and cultures, learn from each other and are forming lasting friendships with those they may not have otherwise encountered.

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First Chapter Fridays

This program is another fun way to introduce titles to a large number of students at the same time.  Ms. Moore records herself reading aloud the first chapter of a different book for all classes to access and listen to on the first Friday of every month.  Afterward, there is often a rush to the library to check out the selected title.  Even if the title has already been checked out, the book may be reserved by others for future reading and also gives the staff the opportunity to suggest similar titles or other works by the same author, all of which helps to introduce students to books they may not otherwise have encountered or selected for themselves.

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Project Lit

Project Lit is a monthly multi-grade book club where students employ choice and voice in their reading selections.  Students meet in groups and lead discussions based on their book choices.  While the club is overseen by Ms. Moore along with several ELA teachers, it is entirely student led.  Project Lit leaders meet with Ms. Moore to choose upcoming themes, choose the titles for the theme, and plan additional activities for the overall group.  One of the meetings even featured a book give away courtesy of Louder Than Hunger author John Schu.

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Project Lit students gather to discuss their book selection.    

Students are excited for the Project Lit meeting to begin..    

Project Lit leaders meet to select titles for an upcoming meeting.

Students relate with each other over Project Lit selections.    

Ms. Moore and Ms. Ellenburg talk with students about their Project Lit selection.    

Ms. Moore observes a group of Project Lit students as the discuss the title they read.
 

At the December meeting a drawing was held for free copies of Louder Than Hunger courtesy of author John Schu.

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Strive for 25

The program encourages all students to read at least 25 books from August through April.  ELA teachers work with students to help them achieve their personalized reading goals to attain the rank of novice (5 books), apprentice (10 books), visionary (15 books), enchanter (20 books), or wizard (25 books).  The school will recognize wizards at the end-of-the-year award ceremony.  In addition, a Strive for 25 celebration event is held at the end of the school year to recognize and reward all participants who attained the rank of novice or above.  Each year, the celebration has had to grow as the number of qualified readers has increased.  

Scenes from the 2023-2024 Strive for 25 Celebration

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South Carolina Junior Book Award Contest
 

Each year, the South Carolina School Librarian's Association nominates twenty titles for the Junior Book Award Contest.  Students are encouraged to read at least three novels to be invited to an SCJBA voting party to choose the school and state-winning book.

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Library Mission Statement

The Seneca Middle School library works to ensure that students have access to a collection of age-appropriate, engaging, culturally-enriching, diverse texts, materials, and technology that represents our student population and beyond and promote creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.

Equitable Access: Ensure every student has access to high-quality print and digital resources that meet diverse learning needs and interests.

Cultural Responsiveness: Curate materials that reflect the diversity of our student population and promote understanding of multiple perspectives and cultures.

Critical Thinking & Creativity: Support students in developing analytical, evaluative, and creative skills through exploration, research, and problem-solving activities.

Collaboration & Communication: Provide opportunities for students to collaborate, share ideas, and communicate effectively in academic and personal contexts.

Technological Literacy: Integrate technology and digital tools to enhance learning, research, and information literacy skills.

Library Objectives

• Maintain and expand a library collection that includes diverse voices, multiple formats, and a range of reading levels.
• Implement programs, workshops, and activities that foster critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration.
• Collaborate with classroom teachers to integrate library resources into curriculum and project-based learning.
• Provide instruction and support in digital literacy, research skills, and responsible technology use.
• Collect feedback from students and staff to continually adapt library offerings to meet evolving needs.