Michelle Kowalsky, MLS ‘96
National Board Certified Teacher of Library Media
Michelle Kowalsky is the library media specialist at Whippany Park High School and an adjunct faculty member at William Paterson University. Michelle is active in the Highlands Regional Library Cooperative, serving as Chair of the Youth Services Committee and as a member of the Information Services, Planning, and Technology Committees. Michelle is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL), currently serving as Chair of the Technology Applications Committee. She has recently become a doctoral student in a hybrid online program in Educational Technology at Pepperdine University.
In 2002, Michelle was certified as a National Board Certified Teacher of Library Media (Early Childhood through Young Adulthood) by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). She was required to demonstrate evidence of the highest standards of professional accomplishment, including extensive and ongoing collaboration with classroom teachers on the design, implementation, and assessment of student learning through the library. In addition, Michelle is an adjunct reference and curriculum materials librarian at William Paterson University. She teaches graduate courses for library media certification, as well as undergraduate courses in American literature, writing, reading strategies, literacy, and education.
Michelle was one of a hundred teachers to receive the national Unsung Heroes of Education award in 2003 for her collaborative genetics project, developed with Science teacher Sara Allan of Whippany Park High School. Michelle was awarded the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) IConnect Prize in 1999, along with Spanish teacher Victoria Erla of Wayne Valley High School, for their collaborative foreign travel project. Michelle was the recipient of the 1997 New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) Library Service Award and she is a proud graduate of the New Jersey Academy of Library Leadership. She participated for several years in the American Library Association (ALA) New Members Round Table, and enjoyed working as a staff writer for Cognotes, the ALA conference newspaper. She has contributed to development of the Praxis II Study Guide for Library Media Specialists, and is a trained mentor of library media specialists for both NBPTS and NJASL.
Michelle is project coordinator and site administrator of the New Jersey State Library’s Youth and Children’s Services Book Evaluation Site (NJYAC), a place where librarians and students can share their thoughts on books for all ages. She has served SC&I as a member of the Alumni Association Executive Board, as previous webmaster and writer for the Alumni newsletter The Scarlet Letter, as a volunteer and presenter at SC&I’ Tech Boot Camps, as a mock interviewer for SC&I Career Days, and as a guest speaker in library media courses and at graduate student organization events.
