What we know about why author Kathie Giorgio's name has been removed from the Waukesha North High School Wall of Stars
Author and Waukesha North High School alumna Kathie Giorgio has asked to have her name removed from the school's Wall of Stars after the district banned her books from school libraries in the district. The district has agreed to do so.
What's the Wall of Stars, and when was Giorgio added?
The Wall of Stars honors the accomplishments of Waukesha North High School's alumni. To be nominated, a person must have graduated at least five years ago, demonstrated citizenship during and after high school and have made a significant contribution to the community and society, according to the district's website.
Giorgio was nominated and accepted to the Wall of Stars in 2020 for her success as an author and for starting her business, AllWriters Workplace and Workshop LLC, a creative writing studio in Waukesha.
What has Giorgio written?
Giorgio has written 15 books: eight novels and seven collections of poems or short stories.
Here are her novels:
"The Home for Wayward Clocks"
"Learning To Tell a (Life) Time"
"Rise from the River"
"In Grace's Time"
"If You Tame Me"
"All Told"
"Hope Always Rises"
"Don't Let Me Keep You"
Here are her poems and short stories:
"Olivia In Five, Seven, Five; Autism In Haiku"
"No Matter Which Way You Look, There Is More To See"
"When You Finally Said No"
"Today's Moment of Happiness Despite The News"
"Enlarged Hearts"
"True Light Falls in Many Forms" is a poetry chapbook.
"Oddities And Endings: The Collected Stories of Kathie Giorgio"
Why did Giorgio want her name removed from the Wall of Stars?
In 2023, she discovered her books were among those removed from some of the school district's libraries. A librarian told Giorgio it was because they hadn't been checked out often, but she questioned that explanation because, she said, her books were on reading lists for various classes at Waukesha North.
Giorgio spoke at the school's 50th anniversary celebration in January, and gifted the district with copies of her books. She later learned that the district would not accept the gift.
Why won't the school district accept her books?
It's unclear.
A librarian told Giorgio her books were removed initially because they hadn't been checked out often.
Giorgio received an email from Waukesha School District deputy superintendent of teaching and learning Jenn Gennerman saying the books would not be accepted because the district prefers books to have protagonists the same age as high school students. But Giorgio said 11 of her 15 books do have protagonists of high school age.
And, Giorgio said, her own children read books at North that did not have high school age protagonists.
Giorgio also said she received an email from a school board member saying the district likes its library books to be a part of the core curriculum.
In any event, the school board reserves the right to define what gifts it considers appropriate and to reject what it deems inappropriate or unsuitable, according to the district's policy on donations.
The school district did not answer questions about specifically why the books were not accepted or what process was followed in reviewing Giorgio's donation.
What is the school district's response?
In a statement, the school district said it has spent "significant time, energy, and resources to establish guaranteed and viable curriculum resources across many subjects."
"Our goal is to ensure all students have a common and rigorous learning experience. Similarly, our focus has also been on ensuring that our school libraries offer age and maturity-level appropriate content. When there is a donation of books, our library media staff has practices in place for when books are donated," the district said.
"We have had a change in library staff over the years," said a statement from the school district. "The size of the library, the condition of the book and the frequency of the book being checked out are all factors when considering if a book is weeded from the library collection."
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on X (Twitter) at @AlecJohnson12.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Author Kathie Giorgio removed from Waukesha North Wall of Stars
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