The Amanda Award

The Amanda Award was established by the Florida Association of Media in Education (FAME) in January 2002 for the purpose of recognizing media specialists who promote resiliency in teens by developing programs that enhance and support the self-esteem and well being of young adults. Davidson Titles, Inc. is the sponsor of the Amanda Award. The Amanda Award celebrates the unique capacity of media specialists to develop media centers that make a difference in the lives of adolescents and young adults. Media specialists accomplish this by creating exemplary environments in which students are made to feel that they fit in and are part of the school. Specifically, these programs:

1. Connect with teens;

2. Support and encourage reading;

3. Teach decision-making, problem-solving, and character skills.

The sponsor of The Amanda Award is Davidson Titles of Jackson, Tennessee. Each year, The Amanda Award is given to a middle school and high school media specialist. The award consists of $300 and a plaque. The Amanda Award was established by Dr. Jones in memory of a young woman, Amanda.

The recipients of the 2002 The Amanda Award are Kay Teehan, Bartow Middle School, Bartow, Florida, for "Putting Character in Character Education," and Nelle Martin, Cardinal Newman High School, West Palm Beach, Florida, for "The Lunch Bunch."

In "Putting Character in Character Education," Teehan used storytelling to "introduce a new character education value each month to classes who visit the media center." She told stories about Joan of Arc's courage, Mahatma Gandhi's demand for respect, and Cesar Chavaz's perseverance.

In "The Lunch Bunch," Martin provides teens with a friendly environment during lunchtime where they can spend their time reading periodicals and other pleasure materials, playing games, and gaining a sense of belonging by helping, if they choose, with small chores around the media center. After noticing that the same students spent their lunch in the media center, partly out of their unwillingness to face the terrors of the cafeteria, Martin intentionally created a special place where students could come and feel welcome.

The 2003 Amanda Award recipients were Katharine C. Adams and Mary Aitchison. Adams, a media specialist at Gulf Middle School in Cape Coral, Florida, received the award for developing a program called AR Student Advisory Committee, which builds student leadership among lower level readers. Atichison is a media specialist at Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Florida. Her multi-dimensional program In Celebration of Heroes, addresses the unique needs of inner city teens by providing themed book displays, speaker's programs, and opportunities for student self expression. In addition to a $300 cash award and trophy provided by Davison Titles, the recipients received a set of Scholastic's Life Balance Books about teen issues and a copy of Helping Teens Cope by Dr. Jami Jones.

Submission Deadline - June 30 each year

To learn more about the Amanda Award visit FAME.

2004 Amanda Award Winners Dana Thompson - New Smyrna Beach Middle School, New Smyrna Beach, Florida Janice Saulsby - Dr. Phillips High School, Orlando, Florida 2003 Amanda Award Winners Katharine C. Adams - Gulf Middle School, Cape Coral, Florida Mary Aitchison - Oak Ridge High School, Orlando, Florida 2002 Amanda Award Winners Nelle Martin - Cardinal Newman High School, West Palm Beach, Florida Kay Teehan - Bartow Middle School, Bartow, Florida