|
Who Are We?Tome Student Literacy Society (Tome Society) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Georgia. Tome Society serves students in grades 2-12 by providing a diverse menu of digital student competitions; an annual book award list of new, clean, fun-to-read children's and young adult literature titles; student book club activities; curriculum materials for educators; and the TomeCon annual conference for both students and educators. All activities promote self-esteem, leadership skills, character ethics, and nurture critical thinking, creativity, and imagination in the digital age.
|
tHE tOME sTORY
Tome Student Literacy Society is a grassroots student club envisioned in 2012 by two sisters - Jennifer Parker and Rebecca Hamby - both Media Specialists in Georgia, at the time. As sponsors of their school book clubs they saw a need for an active student community promoting literacy that went beyond informal book discussions. Thus, on a trip to an educational technology conference in 2012 the idea for Tome was born. Very soon after Tome's birth, Shelby Day, another Georgia Media Specialist and Ashley Walden, a classroom teacher, joined the founding leadership team and the four have worked diligently to make Tome an excellent resource for students and teachers across the state.
In April of 2014 Tome hosted its 1st Annual Conference with approximately 90 students and advisers present. It was a very successful capstone on Tome's first year of operation. Tome held its 2nd Conference in May 2015 and almost doubled the attendance from the first year.
In 2016, the official Tome Society annual conference was re-born under the moniker, TomeCon. TomeCon 2016 was held on the Gainesville campus of The University of North Georgia and had over 400 people in attendance. Author Jaleigh Johnson was the keynote speaker. TomeCon 2017 hosted over 750 people, and guest authors Dianne Salerni and Jackson Pearce provided Keynote Addresses. 2018 was a year of explosive growth for Tome Society and over 1,400 people attended TomeCon 2018 with over 60 authors and speakers from across the country leading teacher sessions throughout the day. The conference grew again in 2019, with over 2,200 students, teachers, and parents attending TomeCon 2019.
Tome Society currently has over 200 registered chapters across the state of Georgia and is growing exponentially each year. These chapters include public, private, and home schools, as well as public libraries. We are excited to see the number of Tome chapters and people attending TomeCon growing exponentially each year!
In April of 2014 Tome hosted its 1st Annual Conference with approximately 90 students and advisers present. It was a very successful capstone on Tome's first year of operation. Tome held its 2nd Conference in May 2015 and almost doubled the attendance from the first year.
In 2016, the official Tome Society annual conference was re-born under the moniker, TomeCon. TomeCon 2016 was held on the Gainesville campus of The University of North Georgia and had over 400 people in attendance. Author Jaleigh Johnson was the keynote speaker. TomeCon 2017 hosted over 750 people, and guest authors Dianne Salerni and Jackson Pearce provided Keynote Addresses. 2018 was a year of explosive growth for Tome Society and over 1,400 people attended TomeCon 2018 with over 60 authors and speakers from across the country leading teacher sessions throughout the day. The conference grew again in 2019, with over 2,200 students, teachers, and parents attending TomeCon 2019.
Tome Society currently has over 200 registered chapters across the state of Georgia and is growing exponentially each year. These chapters include public, private, and home schools, as well as public libraries. We are excited to see the number of Tome chapters and people attending TomeCon growing exponentially each year!
The Tome Team
FOUNDERS
Jennifer Parker - Ed.S., former Business Education teacher & High School Media Specialist, current Middle School Media Specialist
Becca Hamby - Ed.S., former High School Biology teacher & Media Specialist, current Homeschool Mom
Shelby Day - Ed.S, Retired/Inactive Executive Board Member, former High School Media Specialist, current High School teacher
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS
Jennifer Parker - President
Becca Hamby - Treasurer
Caroline Mott - Secretary
Jessica Burger - Board Member
Ashley Walden - Board Member
TEAM MEMBERS
Caroline Mott - Office Manager
Jennifer Parker - Ed.S., former Business Education teacher & High School Media Specialist, current Middle School Media Specialist
Becca Hamby - Ed.S., former High School Biology teacher & Media Specialist, current Homeschool Mom
Shelby Day - Ed.S, Retired/Inactive Executive Board Member, former High School Media Specialist, current High School teacher
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS
Jennifer Parker - President
Becca Hamby - Treasurer
Caroline Mott - Secretary
Jessica Burger - Board Member
Ashley Walden - Board Member
TEAM MEMBERS
Caroline Mott - Office Manager
FAQ's
- What does Tome stand for? Tome is not an acronym. A tome is: a book, especially a very heavy, large, or learned book; or a volume forming a part of a larger work.
- How do you pronounce Tome? Tome rhymes with home.
- What grade levels does Tome serve? Grades 2-12
- What types of groups can join Tome? Public schools, private schools, home schools and co-ops, as well as public libraries.
- How do I register a chapter? Visit the Chapters page for all of the info you need!
- How much does it cost to join? Visit the Chapters page for all of the info you need!
- What is your definition of a "clean" book? The It List consists of books that have minimal profanity (foul language, cuss words, etc.) and no descriptive sexual scenes. Visit the It List Guidelines page for more info.
- What does It (as in "The It List") stand for? It is not an acronym. It just means what's in, what's hot, what are the best books for kids this year, etc.
- How is your Reading Bowl different from other models? We offer 3 online tests over the course of the school year, rather than just 1 competition. The top teams advance to an in person competition at TomeCon. See more on the Reading Bowl page.
- What if my students don't want to do Reading Bowl? Great! We have a diverse menu of competition options for students in multiple literacy areas. A Tome student could read 1 It List book and submit 1 competition entry and still get the full Tome experience! They might even win an award at TomeCon! See more on the Competition page.
- Can parents attend TomeCon? Of course! All adults associated with a chapter are welcome to attend TomeCon See the TomeCon page for ticket info.
- How can I help? Visit the Volunteers page and sign up or visit the Donate page to provide a tax-deductible donation!
Tome Society is managed by a small team of volunteers, who are also working educators. If you would like to help us reach our organizational goal of hiring a full time employee, please consider visiting the Donate page.