Mrs. Russo is more than just our school librarian, she does so much for KHS and our community than people realize. She’s been working at KHS for 29 years now, but worked in the education field prior to coming to KHS. You may have seen her work with your English or history classes when exploring the online databases, but just wait she does so much more.

She taught children’s literature at the university level at schools like UNE, USM, and UNH. Currently she’s the library media specialist for grades K-12, and has a degree in teaching and a masters in library sciences. Not only does Mrs. Russo work at the high school level, she is also connected to working and helping the elementary and middle school level. She has the opportunity to help more faculty and students in our school system, because she oversees the literacy leadership teams for grades 4-12. Within this group she gets the opportunity to work with teachers for grades 4-12 on incorporating different kinds of literacy into classroom teaching. She also gets involved with the staff and holds an educational book club! The book club is currently reading, The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way.

Outside of RSU 21, she is the trustee for the Kennebunk Free Library and she also works with the Literacy for ME community committee where she works with libraries and the united way and York county services to support literacy in the community.

There are quite of few facts about Mrs. Russo that you may not know about! For instance, she and her husband are college sweethearts! They’re still together to this day. They have two sons, and four grandchildren! She also has a 3 year old golden retriever named Nigel. In her spare time she enjoys reading and spending her weekends with her family and friends.

Mrs. Russo wears a compass rose bracelet, and it definitely relates to the advice she has for students. She believes that you should never let anyone define you; you define yourself. She also said that, “It’s hard to be a teen, but it’s important to keep a good balance in your life. Follow your passions, and stay true to your own moral compass.”