Former Sandy Hook Library Media Specialist Wins Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians

NEWTOWN, CT —Yvonne Cech, current Library Director of the Brookfield Library and former Library Media Specialist of Sandy Hook Elementary School, is one of two Librarians who were chosen as the recipients of the 2018 Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity, according to Cheryl Malden, Program Officer with the American Library Association.

Diana Haneski, Library Media Specialist at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, along with Cech will both be presented with a cash prize an award at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans, LA., Malden said in a statement.

The ALA explains the origins of the Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced With Adversity in the following manner: “It is of the opinion of Lemony Snicket, author, reader, and alleged malcontent, that librarians have suffered enough. Therefore he is establishing an annual prize honoring a librarian who has faced adversity with integrity and dignity intact. The prize will be a generous amount of cash from Mr. Snicket’s disreputable gains, along with an odd, symbolic object from his private stash, and a certificate, which may or may not be suitable for framing. It is Mr. Snicket’s hope, and the ALA’s, that the Snicket Prize will remind readers everywhere of the joyous importance of librarians and the trouble that is all too frequently unleashed upon them.”

The adversity Cech met was on that horrific December day five years ago, on December 14, 2012, when a lone gunman shot his way through the doors of Sandy Hook Elementary School taking the lives of 26 students and educators. According to a release, Cech saved 18 fourth grade children on that day by hiding them in a storage closet, locking the door and barricading it with book trucks and other objects until the SWAT team arrived.  Cech would not open the door until she verified the officers’ identity.

Similarly, five years later, during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, FL, Haneski shielded 50 high school students and five adults from harm in a barricaded equipment room. She also refused to open the door until she was sure that the rescuers were who they claimed to be, the statement said.

Cech is now a Librarian at the Brookfield Public Library where she, her bio says, specializes in children’s literature but also loves adult nonfiction books about history. Cech lives in Danbury, received her Master’s in Library Science from Florida State University and holds a Teaching Certification from Southern Connecticut State University, with undergrad degrees from Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and SUNY Oswego.

 

The deadline for submission of applications for the 2019 Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity is February 1.  Guidelines and applications are available on the ALA website.

Read more here.

Photo by RoccoA via Flickr

What’s the Buzz, CT?

 

Hey there! Wendy Mitchell here— mom of three, writer, editor, musician, wife, rescue pup mama, breast cancer survivor. After battling the evil “C word” for the past three years, I’m happy to report that I’m now 100% cancer free and ready to announce the (re)launch of sorts of my CT Buzz family of news sites. Why is it a relaunch? Because I originally launched Bethel Buzz news site in June of 2011 and soon after added New Fairfield and Sherman Buzz. After several years, I went on to work as Regional Editor for a national news website from 2010-2012.

During 2012-2013, I stopped working in order to serve as a volunteer to help my hometown of Sandy Hook heal after the tragic Sandy Hook School shootings on Dec. 14, 2012. I founded the Sandy Hook Arts Center for Kids (The SHACK) in Sandy Hook Center as a creative way for kids and families to heal through the power of the arts through free music and art programs. We were happy to have the Newtown Strong Therapy Dogs as regular visitors.

In January of 2014, Hearst Media Services honored me as one of the “Top 10 Most Fascinating People of 2013” award in the Greater Danbury Area for volunteer work I performed with Sandy Hook Arts Center for Kids.

February 4, 2015, is a day I won’t ever forget. It was the day life threw me a major curveball and I found out I had a rare and aggressive type of breast cancer called Metaplastic Carcinoma, only found in 1% of women diagnosed. After four months of dose dense “red devil” chemo, 30 rounds of radiation, five surgeries and tons of complications, I’m happy to be cancer free after a three-year-long fight and continue to work to raise awareness for self breast exams for early detection. (Read my story from the beginning by clicking here on my blog)

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CT Buzz News will cover the towns of Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield and Sherman. Our sites will serve not only as a current news and information site, but also as an escape from the rigors of your desk job. Hop onto the site for a little light-hearted humor, a heartwarming story about local volunteers, or  read about all of the many interesting and eclectic artists and residents in our towns.

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Each week expect to find news from the First Selectman’s office, the public schools, news from the Chamber of Commerce, the Library, nonprofits, Scouts, civic groups and other wonderful organizations.

Watch for stories of your neighbors who we think are The Bee’s Knees— outstanding citizens, volunteers and civic groups in our community. Read about Queen Bees— women run businesses, Yellow Jackets— Fire &  EMT news, and The Fuzz Buzz— Police news.

We love to highlight our local sponsors and feature them weekly in our Small Business Spotlight. If you are a business owner who would like to be featured on our website and/or Facebook pages, contact me at ctbuzznews@gmail.com. Thanks and keep spreading the BUZZ!