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| Jennie Simopolous in the newly updated library. |
After graduating from Boston University with a B. A. in Communication Studies, Jennie went on to receive an M. A. from Emerson College in Media Arts. After doing some production work, she realized that what she wanted to do - what she had always wanted to do - was to be a school librarian. She returned to school and got her Master’s in English and in Library Science from Simmons College. She has been a licensed librarian since 2008.
At her former school, Jennie was described as approachable, friendly, and open to trying anything. Her calm demeanor encouraged her colleagues to come to her with technology challenges and she alleviated their fears by working to figure it out together. She hopes to be a resource for both her students and her colleagues at the Franklin.
Growing up in Marlborough, MA, Jennie played “library". She made homemade cards for the backs of her books, checked them out using a Cabbage Patch stamp, and lined up her dolls to read to them. Her happiest memory of elementary school was writing her own book - a ghost story - in the fifth grade. Seeing her book in the school library made her realize that she too could be an author one day. Growing up near the public library helped to ignite a lifelong love of reading. Her gnawing question was always “What else can I read?”.
While these experiences set the stage for her future, they weren't always positive. Jennie loved The Baby-Sitters Club series by Ann M. Martin. She remembers reading them in the school library in the fifth grade when the parent of a classmate commented “You’re reading The Baby-Sitters Club?” in a voice suggesting disdain and disapproval of her choice.
Jennie’s library is a judgement-free zone where students are encouraged to check out whatever interests them. It is a place for discovery and expression and she wants all of her students to feel comfortable asking for book recommendations and for assistance. Students do not have to like everything and they have a choice in the books they check out. “The freedom to read whatever I wanted made me a reader", says Jennie. Some of her current recommendations, Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead and Dumpling Days by Grace Lin, can be found on the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award list. For more great book suggestions, check out the Franklin Elementary School website.
Jennie considers herself to be very lucky. Her parents are her heroes, having immigrated from Greece with nothing and working tirelessly to put Jennie and her brother through college. Through their efforts and her own, she is living in a great city and has a great job. There is no better place to be with a vibrant community of children’s authors and publishers. The Franklin community considers ourselves to be very lucky to have Jennie as our new librarian!
