ABBEVILLE, SC (August 15, 2017) — A $1,750 teacher grant from HopeSouth Federal Credit Union will enable Westwood Elementary to participate in an innovative schoolwide book club. On behalf of fourth grade teacher and grant winner Caitlin King, students and staff will receive a copy of a book that can be enjoyed by a broad range of students.
The project is designed to create a shared reading experience where the entire school reads the same book at the same time. Even art and music teachers will link main themes of the book into classroom activities. The objective is to promote family literacy while supporting reading fluency and listening comprehension.
“We were so impressed by Caitlin’s enthusiasm for wanting to create a program that will impact the entire school,” said HopeSouth CEO Faye Crocker. “This is our way of thanking teachers like Caitlin for their role in promoting literacy and lifelong learning for our children in Abbeville County.”
King has identified the book “The One and Only Ivan,” as an example of a book Westwood Elementary may use that would challenge students. The main themes of the book are friendship, family dynamics, animal cruelty and never giving up.
Nationally, South Carolina ranks No. 39 in literacy.
HopeSouth Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative with the designation of Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and Community Development Credit Union (CDCU). Established in 1972, HopeSouth serves members who live, work, worship or attend school in Abbeville County.
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