Schools Receive $600K Literacy Grant

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Thursday was a good day for the city of Memphis and Memphis City Schools.

Dr. Kriner Cash says, "This is a very important initiative, a very important day."

At Egypt Elementary the day began with an announcement that a $600,000 grant was awarded to three Memphis City Schools as part of Toyota's and the National Center for Family Literacy nationwide effort to promote literacy.

Cash says, "When you learn to read you learn it opens up other pathways to success for your family, success for your future."

Superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash and Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton along with other school and community leaders were on hand to accept the award from Toyota.

The program will focus on Berclair, Egypt and South Park Elementary Schools.

Cash says those 3 schools have a combined average of 31% Hispanic enrollment.

Cash says, "This helps us because it builds a culture of literacy and a culture of emphasis on reading."

Across town at Brewster Elementary the encouraging attitudes continue. Inside it was Men's Day.

Tony Collins says, "It's very important that we be here for our children."
It was a day for the second time in two years where Fathers, Grandfathers, Step Fathers, Uncles and Father Figures to children of Brewster come to show their support of the school, the community and their children.

Angela Mickey says, "The men coming into the building, they show the students and there children how much they actually care about them. It shows that when they come in the students behave better, when they behave better they are able to perform more academically, so it helps all around."

But the day's big guest for the second time inside two city schools was Mayor A C Wharton.

Mayor Wharton says, "If you are a man you are walking around here and there are some youngsters looking at you and you're teaching him. We're teaching by our mere presence, the only question is what are we going to teach."