Middle Gate Librarian Honored

Middle Gate media specialist Donna McGough has been recognized by the Connecticut Education Media Association (CEMA) with the Carlton Erickson Award for media excellence.

CEMA offers annual awards to honor excellence in library media programs throughout the state. All nominees must be CEMA members and employed in Connecticut.

The Erickson award is given each year to a media specialist who has made an auspicious beginning in media services though action, philosophy, speech, and a dedication to the goals and principles of the media profession.

Although Ms McGough is a veteran teacher, she is a relatively new media specialist, only holding the post at Middle Gate for the past four years.

She began her teaching career in 1978, and in 1983 came to Newtown and began to teach discovery, which she did for three years. In 1987 she came to Middle Gate Elementary, where she assumed the role of media specialist in 1995. Along with her librarian duties, she is also responsible for the technology curriculum at Middle Gate.

A strong believer that a library “needs to be a hub,” Ms McGough has worked hard over the past four years to make her media center as welcoming as possible for students. She keeps the library open late once a week to allow students and their families to come in and use its resources at night.

The foundation on which Ms McGough works is based on letting kids be in charge of their experience in the library. “I like kids being in charge. The more kids are focused, the better the program is going to be.”