Mr. Dixon is a familiar face for many in the building. He has been at Bow for almost eighteen years and he was an English teacher at Bow for twelve of them, teaching everything from World Studies to Film Making to Mythology to Senior Sem. Now, he’s the librarian at BHS and spends his time helping students and staff alike find resources they need, getting people the books they want, and making sure the library runs smoothly. He was drawn to Bow because it offered more exciting opportunities than a different, more traditional school, and because he liked the idea of pushing education forward and felt that Bow was a place where that could happen.
He started out as an English teacher, but after several years of that he switched to being a librarian because it offered a good change of pace. The new position offered more ways to help both the students and the staff, and allowed him to utilize his skill set better. Being a librarian, he was able to do a little bit of everything; from getting people the resources they need, to helping someone figure out how to do something, to giving book recommendations, to teaching electives. Sometimes he is the one that chooses the books that go on display, but many times it’s the students who do. There are a handful of people who help out around the library and will choose which books they want to put on display. Sometimes it’s whatever’s new, other times it’s just the books they enjoy. Occasionally, students will set up a display that relates to whatever project they’re working on.
Picking a favorite book is hard, especially when you’re a librarian, but if he had to choose his top books, they would be Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton and The High King by Lloyd Alexander. Choosing a favorite movie can be just as hard, but he was able to narrow it down to his top five: Return of the Jedi (let’s face it - all Star Wars movies), Labyrinth, Unbreakable, Psycho, and Amélie.
If you ever want to visit Mr. Dixon, stop by the library and say hello!