CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) Every third grader, around 2,800 students, in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS), will be getting free books as part of the Reading Rodeo program from the Downtown Kiwanis Club.
The Kiwanis Club partnered with the Clarksville-Montgomery County Education Foundation to help celebrate the joy of reading with students. The first stop to hand out books took place Thursday morning at Byrns Darden Elementary School.
Over the next few weeks, Kiwanis Club and CMCSS leaders will visit district schools to deliver the 2016 selected text. “The One and Only Ivan”, to all third graders. Teachers will work with this text into their curriculum so students will have the chance for guided interaction with their new book.
While the Reading Rodeo program is new this year, the Downtown Kiwanis Club has donated more than 100,000 books to CMCSS students over the past 30 years. The name of the program uses the Kiwanis Rodeo event which is a fundraiser that has helped to purchase the books.
Reading Rodeo is also made possible through a grant from the UPS Foundation, and funding from an anonymous donor who loves children and reading.