MVA Library Newsletter
March-May2025
MVA Library News & Events
The Library is for Everyone! đ
This newsletter is full of events and opportunities. We hope you read all the way to the end!
Library Calendar
5/8 - Club Odin Lunch Meeting
5/8-5/9 - All library books should be returned
5/12 - No more library books checked out
5/19 - Library closed
5/19-5/20 - 8th Grade Textbook returns by class
5/27-29 - 7th Grade Textbook returns by class
6/4-6/6- iPad collection, 8th grade
May is AAPI Heritage Month
In the month of May we take time to reflect and celebrate the important role that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) have played in our shared history. Come by the MVA library to see our books on display.
Asian Pacific Cultural Festival returns May 24
Asian Pacific Cultural Festival will take place in the heart of Balboa Park, at the International Cottages! The festivities will take place from 11:00am to 5:00pm. This is a FREE event!
San Diego MTS and Pacific Arts Movement Unveil Special AAPI Heritage Month PRONTO Card
San Diego County Libraries
Check out these titles by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors, and check out TCCL's month-long Asian American Festival programming! This list includes fiction and nonfiction for all ages. Brought to you by Nathan Hale Library.
Ms. Vattuone Recommends
Arthur Blackwood's Scary Stories for Kids Who Like Scary Stories: Book 1
by A.M. Luzzader Not as good as any of David Lubarâs âWeenieâ books⌠but a solid set of weird creepy tales, including one with my biggest fearâŚspiders. 8th graders might particularly enjoy the last story about a science fair cloning projectâŚwith a twist.
Hide Donât Seek and other very scary stories
by Anica Rissi- 20 scary stories with creepy illustrations. If you are a fan of Alvin Schwartzâ Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, you will likely enjoy this book. I appreciated the new twists she brought to spooky storytelling. For example, in the story âYouâre Itâ , the creepiest game of tag ever, she uses text messages to convey the action. There are some poems, similar to Schwartz. These stories would make good models and inspiration for aspiring writers of scary stories.
The List
by Patricia Forde is about a post-apocalyptic world where a city called Ark is the last safe place on Earth. Everyone in Ark must is limited to a language of only 500 words called âListâ. Except, Letta, she has access to the forbidden words as an apprentice to the âWordsmithâ. If you are a fan of The Giver you might enjoy this book. If you are someone who is concerned with censorship, this book is for you. The ending will leave you..speechless.
The library will be closed during starting May 19th to process textbooks. Students can still come in to get assistance.
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PAST EVENTS
Library Club Field Trip To Chicano Park in Barrio Logan 3/7
We began the day by reading this book under the kiosko.
The Spirit of Chicano Park/El espiritu del parque Chicano is a bilingual, children's picture book that depicts the history of the creation of a historic park located in the community of Logan Heights in San Diego, California. The park was founded in 1970 as a result of a community Take Over of the land. The park was born out of a community's struggle to create a place for family gatherings amidst the destruction of their community through the enforcement of eminent domain and the building of Interstate 5 freeway and the Coronado Bridge. The park is located underneath the Coronado Bridge. Massive cement pillars support the bridge and fill the park's landscape. Community artists painted murals on the pillars that depict the history of the park and the history of the Chicano community. Housed in the center of the park, is a one-of-a-kind stage, called a Kiosco. The park is a living legacy of the people of Logan Heights, now also known as Barrio Logan. It is a vibrant park with community activities, dance ceremonials, and political gatherings occurring on a regular basis. Chicano Park is known nationally and internationally because of its art, but also because it became a symbol of hope and self-determination for the Chicano/Mexican-American community throughout the United States. The park was designated as a Historical Landmark in 2016.
Elder, Jesse Constancio teaching students about Chicano Park history.
A surprise visit from elder, Salvador "Queso" Torres
Re-enacting the people's protest for a park in Barrio Logan
What students learned:
This is a cultural park where they built murals and interesting things.
They fought for having what they have.
That people built it as a community
About the historians that fought for their land (our land)
About âQuesoâ and what he did for the community.
What students learned:
That the peopleâs houses got destroyed.
Before it became a park it was a neighborhood.
That they had to fight for what they were promised.
That people fight so they could do the Chicano park
Chicano park was not made by the government is was made by the people
What students liked:
It is artĂstic
We went to visit a museum
The field trip was perfect
What I liked was the personal tour
I liked the murals
I liked the scavenger hunt
I liked how we had free time to walk around and explore
I loved the murals
After the tour of the murals, we visited the museum & cultural center.
https://chicanoparkmuseum.org/
Students ate lunch inside the museum. Then drew pictures of their own mural. After, they completed a scavenger hunt in teams about the exhibit Chicanismo and the Art of Resistance: The Legacy of Ricardo Favela and the R.C.A.F.
This exhibit explores the profound influence of Ricardo Favela and the RCAF on Chicano art and activism. Ricardo Favela was a trailblazer in the use of calavera imagery to depict Chicano life, addressing issues and perspectives often marginalized in the mainstream. His involvement with the Royal Chicano Air Force offered him and his peers a powerful medium of expression through silkscreen posters. For the RCAF, Chicano arte was not created for artâs sake but as a tool of
resistance and empowerment, reflecting the cultural pride and activism central to Chicanismo.
Before the bus picked us up, students got a chance to explore the murals outside again and even play on the playground.
Maria Aguila Author Visit, 3/10, Period 1
Student Book Reviews
Aden's Review of the book Like Lava in my Veins by Derrick Barnes
It's very great and I actually like it. The title, Like Lava in My Veins, is significant because when he gets angry his powers are released. It's all about controlling your emotions. It is a book written in comic book style. The cover looks like a normal book but inside there are panels which most comics have. The book's message is you can be anything if you remember that you have someone who believes in you.
Blind Date With a Book Student Reviews
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi; Review by Maliyah
All We Have Left by Wendy Mills, Review by Emily
The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz; Review by Yeshua
Yeshuaâs most memorable moment was when Joanne Skraggs was at church. She said âIt's not good to hate people in a holy place when you're asking God for forgivenessâ. She stated that when asking for forgiveness you have to forgive first. He would recommend this author.
Cool Stuff
https://sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk/
The BBC Sound Effects Archive is available for personal, educational or research purposes. There are over 33,000 clips from across the world from the past 100 years. These include clips made by the BBC Radiophonic workshop, recordings from the Blitz in London, special effects made for BBC TV and Radio productions, as well as 15,000 recordings from the Natural History Unit archive. You can explore sounds from every continent - from the college bells ringing in Oxford to a Patagonian waterfall - or listen to a submarine klaxon or the sound of a 1969 Ford Cortina door slamming shut.
As well as browsing and searching through this treasure trove of sounds, you can also make and share your own mixes and soundscapes using the âmixer modeâ function. Use the mixer to layer, edit and re-order clips from the archive to create your own sounds.
County launches new interactive map of Tijuana River sewage impacts
An interactive dashboard from the county of San Diego showing up-to-date information on environmental impacts of the Tijuana River sewage crisis is now live.
The dashboard displays beach closures along the regionâs coastline, current levels of hazardous gases like hydrogen sulfide detected in the air, where recent wastewater spills have occurred, and areas where people have complained of pungent odors.
County officials say this information is populated from a number of other local public health websites to create a âone-stopâ visual summary for South County residents to be informed about health risks tied to the pollution.
Households are able to apply to receive one of the purifiers through the San Diego County Air Pollution Control Districtâs website. Once the application is approved, the purifier and a replacement filter are shipped directly to the applicantâs address .According to the district, the goal is to distribute 10,000 to residents over the coming months.
From CoastKeeper
Check the health status of your local beach before you swim!
The Trail to Bay Challenge
The Trail to Bay Challenge is free. Join our Educators on guided hikes offered throughout Chula Vista as you learn about the rich biodiversity of our local environment, ways to identify native wildlife and plants, and more. Living Coast cleanups also take place at various locations throughout the year. You will join other families and volunteers passionate about making an impact in their community and help clean up areas near the bay affected by trash and debris. You will also learn ways to conserve our planet, recycle, and compost by making small changes in your daily lives. Attend three hikes and one cleanup with the Living Coast to complete the challenge.
Groups that complete the Trail to Bay Challenge will get a family four-pack valued at $80 (one per household) and a Sustainability Hiking Pack.
Free San Diego City College Music Festival
The Commercial Music Program at San Diego City College will present Soundsation, a student-run, family-friendly music festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 31 in Curran Plaza on the San Diego City College campus. This event is free with free food, local vendors, and community engagement for families.
The festival is being organized by the students in various City College classes, giving them hands-on experience with large-scale event planning including live sound mixing. Find more details on the Soundsation event page.
Free4ME: County Menstrual Product Program
The Free 4 Menstrual Equity (Free4ME) program currently has 58 product dispensers â and counting â in 24 facilities across the county such as libraries, family resource centers, and community centers.
Inability to access or pay for menstrual products disproportionately affects school-aged people. The Free4Me program includes dispensers in all female, all gender-neutral, and 1 male restroom per building in all County facilities.
You Are Never A Bother
Sometimes it may feel like the world isnât listening and no one understands. But you are not alone. Friends and trained pros can reconnect you with your reasons to keep going, and show you ways to cope with difficult days.
Get Help Now: Whether itâs a low point, a crisis, or something you canât exactly put into words, get help for yourself or a friend, call or text 988 to get help, 24/7.
Know Your Rights
Regardless of your immigration or citizenship status, you have constitutional rights:
- You have the right to remain silent. If you wish to exercise that right, say so out loud.
- You have the right to refuse to consent to a search of yourself, your car or your home.
- If you are not under arrest, you have the right to calmly leave.
- You have the right to a lawyer if you are arrested. Ask for one immediately.

