OWL Fest returns to Hub City schools to promote youth literacy

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education, will host the third annual Opportunities with Literacy or OWL Fest this September.

The mobile bookstore experience will visit 40 priority elementary schools across Tennessee, offering students and educators the opportunity to select high-quality books and literacy materials—completely free of charge.

OWL Fest is designed to build home libraries, promote reading engagement, and support literacy development.

Tennessee remains the only state in the nation offering an initiative of this kind on a statewide scale.

Monday, the OWL Fest visited Isaac Lane Technology Magnet Elementary. OWL Fest will travel to three other Jackson-Madison County School District elementary schools, including Jackson Career Technology Magnet, Lincoln Elementary School, and Alexander Elementary School.

“Each student today at Isaac Lane here at Jackson-Madison County Schools will go home with six new books! Hopefully, six books they are excited to read with a family member to build skills, and just love to build a culture of reading in their homes, and in this community, and statewide,” said Meredith Hilleary, director of programs for The Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation.

Reading proficiency among Tennessee’s third graders remains a challenge, with fewer than half meeting grade-level expectations.

In priority schools, proficiency rates range from 22% to 38%. Research consistently shows that the presence of books in the home is a major driver of long-term academic success.

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