When up against every school districts’ 2014 program in the nation, the Franklin Special School District’s Storybus Plus program outranked its competitors.
The FSSD is one of 15 first-place winners in the 21st annual Magna Awards program sponsored by the National School Boards Association’s flagship magazine, American School Board Journal. The district’s summer literacy outreach program, Storybus Plus is one of five first-place winners in the “under 5,000 students” division and will be recognized during the NSBA’s 75th annual conference, which will be held March 21-23 in Nashville.
The program’s primary purpose is to foster the love of reading in children who typically do not have access to a library over the summer.
“The district’s goal in creating this program 16 years ago, under the constant leadership of former FSSD teacher Joyce Smith, was to put books in the hands of children who need them most during the summer months,” David Snowden, FSSD director of schools, said in a news release.
This past summer’s program was the most attended, with more than 850 kids boarding the bus.
Besides the NSBA conference, the American School Board Journal will feature the accomplishment of the school district in its April issue.
Story By Todd Barnes
