Middle Level Section Steering Committee

The Middle Level Section Steering Committee is responsible for the governance of NCTE’s Middle Level Section.

Convention Planning
For the second year the Middle Level proposal reviewers completed 100% of their reviews on time, even with the record number of submissions!  The online review system continues to go more smoothly each year.

The Middle Level Section has invited Nancie Atwell to be the featured speaker at the Thursday afternoon Section Get-Together.  Terry Bigelow and Michael Vokoun will be the chairs.  The Halle Award will be presented by its chair Gretchen Lee.  The Section Committee’s goals for this event is to initiate a welcoming and professional atmosphere that will continue through the convention and to establish a stronger section identity.

Susan Houser and Jim Johnston, with assistance from Nanette Bishop, are the chairs for Friday’s Middle Level Luncheon.  We are thrilled that Dave Barry, humor columnist and co-author of a new series of young adult novels about Peter Pan, will be the speaker.  The Hoey Award will be also presented by award chair Susan Houser.

Once again the Middle Level Section is planning to arrive on Wednesday night and use Thursday for the updates and issues work that has been so valuable in these last two years.

Voices from the Middle
Editors Roxanne Henkin, Elizabeth Pate and Janis Harmon have continued Voices’ powerful mix of the authoritative voices that middle level teachers are eager to hear that are grounded with the classroom voices from the practice of middle level teachers.

Since Section Chair Sandy Hayes is writing a regular technology column, Committee members Carol Gilles, Jim Johnston wrote the March section news column highlighting Barbara Cambridge and NCTE advocacy efforts and Michael Vokoun used the May column to highlight membership in the section.  This team effort and communication of important information is much appreciated.

Middle Level Blog
The Section blog kicked off in March and is off to a small beginning with Sandy as the solitary blogger and with 14 subscribers to the feed.  Jim and Nanette have volunteered to contribute and we have plans to include some guest bloggers starting in the fall. 

Goals
The Promising Young Writers program remains a concern.  Only 236 students were recognized this year, 54% of the potential awards.  Some good suggestions were given to the PYW Advisory Committee by Past President Randy Bomer.  It remains to be seen at their meeting during the convention what the committee has been able to consider in the interim.

The Section Committee was impressed with the demonstration of Pathways Kent Williamson shared with us at our November meeting.  Gretchen Lee has had opportunities to participate as a host and Sandy has enjoyed opportunities for input and the time to share the program with the leaders at the June affiliates meeting.  There has been an impressive effort by staff and volunteers in the last year.  We can all be proud that NCTE can offer a high quality professional development experience grounded in the issues policy work of the last four years.

As our Section Committee continues to seek ways to contribute to this meaningful work, we will be joined by new member Nancy Patterson and by the new Representative at Large Shelbie Witte. And sadly we will be bidding farewell to Jamal Cooks. The beat goes on.

Sandy Hayes, Chair