In early December, Guys Read welcomed Hud Venerable, Head Football Coach of our high school, NCHS. He gave guys great advice about becoming student athletes and answered a boat-load of questions. He stressed that his standards for grades, eligibility, behavior, etc. are tougher than the IHSA’s. Guys asked about current and former players, and got some great tips on how to play many different positions as well. Thanks, Coach!
Over 50 guys attended our first session. Was it the free pop? No matter. The Guys Read survey showed that most guys want to have sports-related guest speakers, so I’ll start there. Tune in soon to see who we’re getting….
Click above to listen….
Awesome job, guys!
Thanks to our behind-the-scenes guys
And thanks again to Beyond the Books Foundation for their grant which provided us with podcasting equipment and Mid-State Reading Council for the grant which provided great books for guys.
Stay tuned next school year for more Guys READ podcasts.
On May 15, Guys READ guys got a visit from Mike Egenes, Sports Editor of The Pantagraph. He told us some ways to get started in sports reporting, focused on the importance of covering local teams, and shared some behind-the-scenes sports reporting stories. Then guys got to hear about some great books written by sportswriters, including Last Shot and Vanishing Act by John Feinstein, Travel Team, Heat, and Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica, and Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip. What awesome reads to start out a sports-filled summer!
Guys Read was thunderstruck by a visit from two members of the Bloomington Prairie Thunder hockey team! Goalie Kris Tebbs (#30) and defenseman Casey Handrahan (#22) talked about how they became hockey players (both started skating at age 2!) and what it’s like to play for the Prairie Thunder. They answered loads of guys’ questions–everything from
Casey and Kris signed autographs for guys and Mrs. Glatt shared some great sports books as well.
Guys interested in hockey can check out books like Hockey: A History of the Fastest Game on Ice, or Great Teams in Hockey History, and The Hockey News, or try out skating or take hockey lessons at the Pepsi Ice Center.
Thanks, Casey and Kris, for joining us for Guys Read! 
Well, after two failed attempts due to snow days, we were finally able to welcome guest speaker, Dan Sagmiller, a video game designer, teacher of game design, and Unit 5 technologist. Dan gave great information about how to get started designing games and gave a preview of classes he teaches for teens at Heartland Community College. Guys can also check out Game Programming for Teens by Maneesh Sethi, which he donated to our IMC.
Mrs. Harris (Mrs. Glatt’s student teacher) shared some great books as well. For novels with a gaming plot, you can try Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde, Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett, or Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Mrs. Glatt’s favorite sci-fi book ever). Mrs. Harris also shared nonfiction books like High Score: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games and Careers in Focus: Computer and Video Game Design.
A great time was had by all, and maybe we have some future game designers in our midst….
Pictures coming as soon as I get the camera back from Mrs. Fuji…
On Thursday, December 14, 2006, Guys Read got a visit from DJ Joe Blaney from BOB FM 97.9. He’s not only a DJ for BOB, but also plays bass for Knights of Crisis, and, oh, yeah, he’s a Communications professor at ISU. He told us that, yes, BOB is a real guy from Texas who has started several radio stations. Blaney explained some of the inner workings of BOB (the radio station, not the guy). He told us about meeting musicians like MC Hammer, Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, and Tom Petty, and that Knights of Crisis has opened for Blue Oyster Cult and Little Feat (his favorite band of all time), even playing at the House of Blues.
His favorite book is Straight Man by Richard Russo, a funny novel which explores the ins and outs of life as a college professor.
He gave out BOB static stickers, too.
We like BOB, and we like Blaney!
Literally–I am psyched that our next Guys Read features MUSIC.
Get ready for some great new books
AND
a visit from BOB 979.9 DJ Joe Blaney (who also happens to be a member of “Knights of Crisis”)
@ CJHS IMC on 12/14/06 during study hall . . . .
Guys Read: Crime and Detection Edition was held on Tuesday, October 24th.
Officer Jerry Worden from the Normal Police Department was our guest speaker–and he brought crime scene photos from a 20-year-old sho
oting case! He plugged the book, Police Lab: How Forensic Science Tracks Down and Convicts Criminals by David Owen, saying that if guys read books about forensics, investigative techniques, etc., then they will be well-equipped to handle a basic course in Criminal Justice, no sweat.
I shared the Stormbreaker movie trailer and found out that the movie isn’t even showing in our town(s)! Guess that’s why they have DVD releases…
Books shared included Zach’s Lie by Roland Smith, Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings, the Silverfin series (young James Bond) by Charlie Higson, the Chasing the Falconers series by Gordon Korman, Ultimate Spy Book by H. Keith Melton, and Hidden Evidence: Forty True Crimes and How Forensic Science Helped Solve Them by David Owen.
Don’t miss November’s Guys Read (theme & date TBA)–it would be a crime!
