Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
Kelly Edwards Elementary students pick out 10 new books during a Book Fair sponsored by the Original Six Foundation.
Over three thousand children in rural and underserved areas across the state received books throughout the month of May.
The Original Six (O6) My First Library Program came to 38 schools to distribute over 30,000 books to kindergarteners to stock the shelves of their at home libraries.
“My First Library, our foundation literacy program, is a vital component of the Original Six Foundation’s work in schools, supporting children whose families often do not have the resources to properly nurture a proficiency in and love of reading,” stated a press release.
Each student picked out ten grade-appropriate books.
What sets the Original Six book fairs apart from others is it is catered to kindergarteners and is held at the end of the year to prevent the summer slide.
“Most summer reading programs begin in the first grade, while My First Library starts the summer before,” states the press release.
“This creates a bridge that helps negate the ‘summer slide’ which accounts for as much as 85 percent of the reading achievement gap between lower-income students and their middle and upper-income peers.”
Students are able to pick out their own book at these fairs, which the O6 reports makes them 92 percent more likely to finish it.
This year, participating students who fill out a coloring page keeping track of all the books they read can earn them a $5 Bojangles gift card.
In Barnwell County, My First Library came to Kelly Edwards Elementary School and Barnwell Primary School.
Other participating districts included Allendale County, Bamberg County, Union County, Pickens County, Colleton County, Florence County, Marion County, Richland County, Greenville County, Clarendon County, Kershaw County, and Lexington County.
The Original Six Foundation was started by former S.C. Governor and current republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who is a Bamberg native.
