I was a Kindergarten teacher for many years- 21 of them here at Harris! My favorite thing about teaching has always been reading and sharing that love of reading with others. I love being your media specialist! I enjoy working with ALL the students in the school, along with teachers and parents.

I grew up in Michigan and still go back to visit my family twice a year. Go Spartans! I earned my Bachelor’s in Early Childhood from the University of South Florida and my Master’s degree in Early Childhood from Georgia State. I am currently working on my Master’s in School Library Media and Technology at the University of West Georgia.

I am married and have 2 children, 2 bonus kids and a little doggy named Baylee.  Cooper attends Georgia Southern, Sula is at Georgia Tech, Walker is a junior at Norcross High School, and Isabella is a Sophomore at North Gwinnett High School. We live in Suwanee and love to take advantage of all the community activities near us. When I’m not in the library, you will find me traveling with my husband, sitting in the theater, or in the stands at a soccer or baseball game.

Getting students excited about reading and learning is a passion of mine!   If you are interested in serving our staff and students by shelving books, organizing the bookroom, assisting with displays, or being a friendly face to encourage our students to read, please contact me. We can always use volunteers!

• The Harris Media Center has a variety of resources for students. It is open for students from 8:20 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. each school day. We have books available for checkout, reference materials,and chrome books for use in the Media Center.

• Books may be checked out for a two-week period, however, they may be returned before the two weeks and more materials checked out.  Students in Kindergarten and first may check out one book at a time; students in grades 2-5 may check out 2 books at a time. If a student has a book overdue, he or she may not check out another until the overdue item is returned or paid for.

• There are no fines for overdue books, however, there is a fee for lost or damaged materials.  These fees are set by the district: $15 for hardback books and $5 for paperback books. Fees may be paid by cash or check brought in to the media center OR may be paid on MyPaymentsPlus.com. To use the MyPaymentsPlus.com site, please let Mrs. Patino know.

• Harris Elementary students are safe, respectful, and responsible in all common areas including our media center. Students are expected to use extreme care when borrowing books from the library.  It is STRONGLY recommended that students use caution when putting water bottles and library books in the same book bag.  Other book care reminders include: use clean hands when handling/reading the book, no writing or coloring in the book, do not eat or drink while reading, and do not take the book outside.  We STRONGLY recommend that books are put back into backpacks or stored in the same place each night to reduce the chance of losing or damaging books. 

• You can see what’s available in our Media Center through our online catalog that is available on your child’s home page.

• Online Research Library
• Storyline Online
• Unite For Literacy

Our vision is to empower students to become enthusiastic readers, ethical users, critical thinkers, and skillful researchers. We will ensure equality and freedom to access all information for our diverse population.

Our Mission is to encourage a love of reading, cultivate a community of lifelong learners, develop respect and appreciation of cultural diversity, and help students gain and create new knowledge through inquiry and technology.