Librarian and Digital Literacy Specialist Charlotte King has taken on the additional role of ninth-grade class dean.
This year, Branson welcomed 107 new ninth-graders to campus. As class dean, King will guide the class of 2028 through the challenges of starting high school and help them feel comfortable at Branson.
Currently in her fourth year as Branson’s librarian, King is excited to fill this role.
“I knew that it would be a really great opportunity to get to know incoming students,” King said.
In previous years, King’s interactions with students have been limited to library-related matters, but as a dean she can support students in a myriad of ways.
“Instead of students coming to me with either textbook-related questions or needing support on a research project that they’re doing for history, or a research project that they want to potentially get published,” she said, “they come to me with other questions, like questions about course enrollments.”
When it comes to the new ninth-graders, King’s goal is to make them feel welcome at their new school.
“They’re freshmen; they’re new to Branson, and they don’t know all the protocols or the culture of the school yet, so I want to help them acclimate to that, and help them in building relationships with their mentors and their cohort leaders,” King said, adding that “it’s not something that’s complete; it’s an ongoing goal.”
The first opportunity to introduce ninth-grade students to Branson was at orientation, and King wanted the orientation to be fun and informative. She organized field-day-style games including a three-point challenge and potato sack races to promote class bonding. King added, “If anyone knows me, they know I am not a sporty person, so this was a big stretch for me, but it was so much fun for everyone.”
King is excited to dive head-first into her new role, but she still remains committed to her duties as the librarian.
“The biggest challenge will be balancing both roles, because I’m still the school librarian, and that’s something that I’m really passionate about,” King said.
For now, King wants to learn all of the things that make each new ninth-grade student in the Branson community unique.
“My hope is to have an opportunity to have a quick one-on-one with each of them, so I can check in to see how they are doing and get to know them a little better,” King said.
