New year, new competition – it’s Golden Shelf Award time!

You may remember the Golden Shelf Award from its introduction here. Or from my post bragging about it’s 2013-2014 winners, here. Or maybe even my post about its most recent winners here. Or maybe you’re just a fan of giant, shiny, book-shaped trophies. Regardless, I’m glad you’re here!

The Golden Shelf Award is a weekly award presented by me to the second, third, or fourth grade class that impresses me the most during their library and checkout times. Every Monday morning, the school holds its breath as Mr. Stern announces, “Congratulations to this week’s Golden Shelf Winners….” I don’t mean to brag, but the cheers can normally be heard down the hall. This award is kind of a big deal.

We keep track of Golden Shelf wins with a giant, interactive chart on the back of the library door. Students can stop by any time and check how many gold stars their class has earned – one for each win. By January, those stars really begin to add up… by March, the race is seriously on. The class with the most wins by the end of the school year earns an ice cream sundae party with me, as well as their picture on displayed on the library for the entire next school year, the chance to star in a Golden Shelf video, and bragging rights for eternity!

Next week, the Golden Shelf Award will be awarded for the first time for the 2015-2016 school year. And my second, third, and fourth graders are READY (not to mention their competitive teachers!). To help them prepare, I worked with last year’s big winner’s to create the video below – How to Win the Golden Shelf Award. With some familiar faces and some excellent advice, it has everything you need to know about how to make sure your class takes the prize.

I can taste those ice cream sundaes already! Good luck, Leopards!