‘OWL Fest’ visits Hub City schools, gives free books to youth

JACKSON, Tenn. — Students at Alexander Elementary School had a chance to go shopping.

The Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation partnered with the Tennessee Department of Education and celebrated the ‘Opportunities with Literacy Fest.’

Better known as OWL, this is a bookstore shopping experience supported by federal funding to promote literacy in priority schools statewide.

OWL Fest visited four schools in the Jackson-Madison County School System.

More than 350 pre-k through 5th graders selected six books of their choice to take home at no cost to families or schools.

“We really want kids to read for 20 minutes a day at home. We really want to involve the families in the reading process to encourage reading because the way we get better is to practice,” said Kenton Evans, principal of Alexander Elementary.

Currently, less than half of Tennessee 3rd graders read at a proficient level. So initiatives like this one can have a major impact.

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