Getting to know the Media Center staff

By Amy Heaton

            B-CC students have the luxury of being able to go to the media center to read, go on the computers, and just chill before school, at lunch and after school. While they’re there they can get help from the staff. But how many actually stop and get to know the people who help make their media center experiences easier and more fun?

            According to the B-CC website, the mission of the media center is “to assist students in answering their own questions so that they can become lifelong learners and productive members of our global society.” They try to make the media center a place where students can relax and be productive at the same time.

            The staff members include Mr. Baczkowski, Mr. Kenton, Ms. McKain, and Ms. Zweig. They are diligently at their posts at the front desk or in the back offices during the media center hours (7 AM to 4 PM) and beyond. In addition to keeping the media center organized and controlled, they assist in research projects and such for classes.

            The staff members also have a supply of interesting experiences and advice, and talking to them can truly be a treat.

            Mr. Baczkowski: He started his career as a tech-savvy English teacher. He always enjoyed teaching, but came to realize that he could also teach as a media specialist. Not only that, but he could also help more people and use the technology he loved all day. His favorite part of the job? Being thanked by teachers and students alike just for doing his job brightens his day.

When he came to B-CC, he tried to make an environment that was unique and welcoming to students. “I think we achieved that,” he said. However, he thinks that students who come to the media center do not completely realize that there is always something to learn with the technology the media center provides them. Remember that Mr. Baczkowski and the rest of the staff are always available for help.

Mr. Kenton: Working in the TV studio, he is always available for help with multimedia projects. He teaches classes such as IB Film and TV Studio (Wake-Up B-CC) and also helps students after school, where he enjoys helping students with projects like documentaries for their classes. For 25 years, Mr. Kenton worked in the TV production industry, but left because “TV is full of egos, and I just kind of got sick of it.”

From his perspective, students make use of the technology he offers them. He feels, however, that they do not appreciate the value of reading in the media center. “Books make you better at writing and at other areas of your life,” he said. All in all, Mr. Kenton wants students not to feel intimidated by the technology offered to them, but to just dive in and work at it.

Ms. McKain: A B-CC alum, Ms. McKain started working at B-CC just after the new addition in 2001. She is most often seen at the front desk in the Media Center, ready to help students. She feels that the Media Center is “thriving” and that the past few years more and more students have recognized that it is a place to relax and work on assignments. Working with students and helping them with their day to day life is what Ms. McKain loves about working at B-CC.

“It was just icing on the cake when I got a job at B-CC,” said McKain, having gone to the school when she was a teenager. Before becoming a media specialist, she worked in both the government and academic fields, and immediately before she came here she worked at Parkland Elementary School.

Ms. Zweig: For 20 years, Ms. Zweig was a photographer for the labor union AFL-CIO. In her time off, she enjoyed teaching art at Montgomery College. She loved teaching and technology so much that she started working at Takoma Park Middle School full time as a media specialist. She already had experience volunteering for her daughter’s elementary school, so she fit in just fine.

To Ms. Zweig, the Media Center is a friendly place with an open door policy. “We’re always packed before and after school and at lunch,” she says. What makes the job worth coming in every day for her is helping students achieve success. From suggesting books to students to guiding them through research projects, Ms. Zweig loves to see students thrive in the Media Center. She also enjoys working with technology to create presentations for teachers or create a display outside the Media Center doors. She recently made the digital display for Black History Month.

All of the members of the Media Center staff are hard working and helpful. They love their jobs and receive great pleasure from helping students succeed. All four of the members stressed that their favorite part of their job is working with students, so they are definitely the right people for the job.