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About Fitz

My name is Sarah FitzHenry, and I am not your average librarian.

I believe that books and libraries are critical tools for helping to create the next generation of citizens and leaders that will shape our future.

Librarians have power to change the world, one reader at a time – and I am here to work.

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Fitz 'Grams

“And the Muslim? The Indian? That girl, she doesn’t even get the dream of the football captain. She gets a lifetime of being stopped by the FAA for random bag searches every time she flies.” ⭐️ Maya’s parents are from India, deeply connected to their cultural and religious roots. But Maya was born and raised in America, in a small town where she is conspicuously, noticeably, and singularly brown. Being born in America but raised in a family with habits from another world puts Maya in a difficult position - how can she be both the free high school student she longs to be and the dutiful daughter she feels that her hard-working parents deserve? Love Hate and Other Filters is smart. It builds relatableness and normalcy with more than 100 pages of a typical teen girl plot line before careening off course with a terrorist attack that suddenly makes the brown of Maya’s skin seem much more dangerous. By then, we’re so attached to Maya, so rooting for her, that even readers uncomfortable and unfamiliar with Muslims think, “Oh, but not all Muslims are terrorists. Some are like Maya. And Maya is like me.” It’s a subconscious reconciliation that can be hard to make with the constant “othering” messages that we get from news and media, but it’s a critical one: we are different, but we are the same. I loved that Maya has big dreams of becoming a filmmaker and the intelligence and work ethic to back it up. She doesn’t work hard just to keep up with parental pressure or to win; she works hard because her goals are important to her, and she will do whatever it takes to fulfill them. The love triangle here didn’t feel entirely convincing to me - I wasn’t swept up with feeling the way I am in the best YA love stories - but I loved Maya’s character enough to follow along. A readable romance with a sneaky side helping of empathy and tolerance, Love, Hate, and Other Filters is a hit with my older middle school readers. #bookreview #ireadya #youngadult #girlpower #weneeddiversebooks #niddleschool #teacherlibrarian

On the eleventh day of Tech-Mas, my library gave to me... BIG questions about the world. And on the twelfth day of Tech-Mas, my library gave to me... the tools to go out and start looking for the answers. This week’s snow days didn’t throw off our Tech-Mas celebrations! Winter Showcase photos coming to the blog soon. Until then... Merry Tech-Mas to all, and to all a good winter break! ❄️ #twelvedaysoftechmas #curious #computerscience #robot #teacherlibrarian #library #happyholidays

Excited to spread a little extra holiday cheer thanks to the generosity of the STAB community! Learning Village families donated so many books for our holiday book swap, and tons and tons of those titles are headed out into the Charlottesville community into loving new homes. This box in particular is headed to @obportusmotivation ‘s Bridging the Gap reading event tomorrow on Hardy Drive (join us at 2 pm!). I can’t wait to see these gently used titles find some new, excited little readers! #happyholidays #holidayspirit #reading #community

‘Tis the season to be reading 🌟📚💕 We’ve checked out more than 7,000 books so far this school year! Ho ho ho-ly cow! #theviewfromhere #teacherlibrarian #middleschool #reader

On the tenth day of Tech-Mas, my library gave to me... a new way to connect with the people I love. #twelvedaysoftechmas #rolemodel #computerscience #ilooklikeanengineer #teacherlibrarian #library

Don’t forget, our Twelve Days of Tech-Mas Winter Wonderland Family Showcase is tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM! Arrive ready to create, code, and problem solve with your favorite K-6 computer science expert. They have so much to teach you! #twelvedaysoftechmas #family #computerscience #community #happyeverything

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