Tracy Jeffcott is the recipient of the 2017-18 Maryland School Librarian of the Year award, which honors a school librarian for exemplary service and outstanding achievements in the field of school library media.
Tracy Jeffcott is the recipient of the 2017-18 Maryland School Librarian of the Year award, which honors a school librarian for exemplary service and outstanding achievements in the field of school library media. The award is presented by the Maryland Association of School Librarians (MASL). Tracy was born and raised in North Canton, Ohio. She received an Early Childhood Education BS from Miami University (Ohio), a Masters of Library Science from the University of Maryland, and is currently working on an Administration Certification from Hood College. Tracy began her career teaching third grade and currently serves as a Media Specialist to students in grades Kindergarten to 5 at Somerset Elementary School in Montgomery County. She works collaboratively with classroom teachers to support the integration of information literacy skills into daily instruction. Tracy utilizes Google Apps for Education (GAFE) to maximize collaboration, instruction, and student engagement.
Most recently, Tracy created a dynamic MakerSpace for all students to engage in independent STEAM related inquiry. She serves on the school leadership team, administrative core team, and STEM PLC. She is the representative for elementary school media specialists on the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) Councils on Teaching and Learning and a member of the Montgomery County Educational Media Specialists Association. For the last three years, Tracy has worked as a mentor to first-year Media Specialists. She has spent summers participating in curriculum summits to create instructional resources for Montgomery County elementary educators.
In October 2016, Tracy was honored to host Media Specialists from around the United States as a part of the School Library Journal Leadership Summit tour. She facilitates professional development for Somerset staff members and MCPS employees. During the 2017-2018 school year, Tracy began working with MASL members to build a professional development committee focused on supporting media specialists around the state of Maryland.