J.H. Williams Middle School

We would like to give a big Wildcat shoutout to our very own Mrs. Katie Griffin. Mrs. Katie is our librarian, and we hope she knows how greatly she is appreciated on National School Librarian's Day!

Prior to becoming our librarian, Mrs. Katie had taught Social Studies, with a few years of ELA at NVMS. While she has taught World, American and Louisiana history, her favorite is World History. I’ve taught at JH Williams, Indian Bayou and North Vermilion Middle. She has been our librarian at JHW for the past 3 years. When asked what motivates her in being a librarian she replied, "I’ve always loved books since a very young age. Even when I was a social studies teacher I would try to incorporate stories as much as possible. After years of reading and discussing books with students, I finally realized that being a librarian was the next step in my career because it would allow me to ignite a love of books in more students."

Her favorite part about being our librarian is "The students! Out of everywhere I’ve taught, these students are by far the most caring and loving. I also really enjoy my library helpers. I’ve got some really great helpers - you know who you are - and they make my days so much easier. "
She hopes to leave every student with this: " Books are amazing! Books can help someone escape a tough day. They can teach you about different people and their lives. Books can make you feel all sorts of emotions and can take you on so many adventures. "

One of the many cool things she does for our students is she created the Book and Games Club (B&G Guild). She also had co-creators. A small group of students who are now in 9th grade - from the concept down to the name. It went through several evolutions, but ultimately landed on Books and Games Guild. It is a place for students to gather with friends and play role-playing / strategy games. It has become the highlight of my week and at the end of every year saying goodbye to another group makes me so sad. Our students certainly look forward to their meetings on Thursdays!

Mrs. Katie is also the JHW Faculty Book Club founder. She created the Faculty Book Club for teachers that enjoy reading and want to share and hold great discussions about books. She mentions that " It’s always been a dream of mine to be in a book club! I was always reluctant to join one at a book store because I thought they might be pretentious book snobs. So after tossing the idea around I finally decided it was time to start my own. "Each month the members vote on a book and the following month hold their meeting to discuss their choice. " I obviously discuss books often with my co-teachers, but I never expected to have so much fun with this club. I love planning for our meetings and look forward to discussing our monthly book pick with some of the best ladies / teachers out there! I’m pretty sure they all think I’m a bit crazy." --Katie

Mrs. Katie thank you for sharing your passion for reading with our students and always going above and beyond for our school!