Throughout the existence of written literature, libraries  have provided solace from the outside world. From Hermione Granger to Matilda Wormwood, the school media center offers a place to read, relax and get away from the harsh realities of school. 

For such an amazing place to exist, we need people to help run it. For our school’s media center, those people are Christina Kastendike and Jennie Randolph.

Though they are media specialists now, they didn’t start out that way. Kastendike taught health and PE at middle schools, along with being a substitute for several years, before being a specialist here. 

Randolph’s past career is similar to her career now. 

“So, I was a media specialist for ten years in Knoxville Tennessee. We moved here in 2020,” Randolph said. “I taught in the classroom for a few years until a position I wanted opened up, so that is how I ended up back in the library. My other time in education was middle school language arts.”

We may be different from their past experiences, but both the specialists enjoy working here. 

“I really enjoy working in a library. I love books, reading, and I love to share my love of reading to students and teachers, and what drew me to Wake Forest was it was a great community school,”Kastendike said. “I feel like the staff and kids all look after each other. It’s really a welcoming place to be.”

Randolph feels similarly and also enjoys working in a high school media center. 

“I was the middle school librarian, and I was always interested in moving up to high school as my students were going to high school, so that is how I ended up in the high school library. I chose Wake Forest because of the community, and it’s really nice to be so close to home,” Randolph said.

It isn’t a qualification, but the majority of media specialists have an interest in reading. Kastendike and Randolph are no different. Both of them have books that they believe have influenced them as people. 

“A book called What the Witch Left by Ruth Chew,” Kastendike said. “I loved the book. It was small, and it also kicked off my love for reading.”

Randolph had a hard time deciding what book had influenced her the most. 

“There is actually two. The first one is To Kill a Mockingbird just because of the themes, the issues and the discussions that come out of that, also learning to see the world a little differently, Randolph said. “The other book is called Beach Music by Pat Conroy, and that is the first time I knew about turtle ladies. They are groups of people along the coast when the sea turtles come in and lay their eggs every year. It was just so cool to me, and I didn’t even know that existed. That’s why I learned about that, and it’s now my life dream to become a turtle lady.”

Being a media specialist isn’t all true love and happily ever afters. The job involves lots of responsibilities and jobs to be done. 

“We have big shoes to fill. Both Ms. Randolph and I being new is a challenge because kinda figuring the lay of the land and the technology, dealing with all the new freshmen with all their new devices,” Kastendike said. 

Kastendike isn’t the only one experiencing new responsibilities. 

“We have a lot. We do a lot of technology. We help kids with their chrome books and teachers with some classroom technology,” Randolph said. “We help the students troubleshoot things and work with the texts that get sent in, doing repairs or orders. We also are available to help the teachers out with their lessons. We do the ordering and all the collection for the printing materials. We help the teachers in the classroom get the type of sets they need. We have a lot of different roles.”

Though several parts of the job are challenging, Randolph has a part of their job that she loves. 

“Just that I enjoy being around the students. We want students to be in here, and we are happy to help even when it is really busy,” Randolph said.

They may have to help students and teachers with classes and technology, but r a media specialist can foster and continue a love of reading. 

“It has opened doors and windows for me that I didn’t think were possible, and it really does provide me with a glimpse of other people’s lives that I may not be exposed to otherwise and stories that I may not have heard,” Kastendike said. “It gives me a great ability to empathize.”

The media center cannot only be a place for resources but also a place to find peace in the chaos of school. 

“I really like it to be a welcoming place for everyone to feel like they can come for whatever needs that need,” Kastendike said. “Whether it would be like a book or a quiet place to be or a safe place to be. I would really encourage everyone to check it out.”