Feb. 25, 2011
For Immediate Release

By Shelby Lynn Cash, student news writer

CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Students and faculty in Campbellsville University's Alpha Epsilon Omicron Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, will host a Read Across America project on Wednesday, March 2 at Taylor County Elementary School, 1100 Lebanon Ave., Campbellsville.

The event is part of the organization's national community service initiative called Literacy Alive! Education majors and faculty will visit over 35 classes to read to students throughout the day.

Campbellsville University's Kentucky Education Association Student Program (KEA-SP) is planning to work with Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) at the Read Across America event. The event is also celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday, which is March 2.

“We plan to buy 200 dollars worth of books to donate and also go and read to classes,” said Kimberly Baker, a Louisville student and acting president of KEA-SP. Baker said the Cat and the Hat will also be present at the event.
Additionally, through funding from the KDP chapter and KEA-SP, each class will receive a “Read Across America” edition of a Dr. Seuss book.

Literacy Alive! was named a finalist in the 2010 Tom's of Maine 50 States for Good Campaign, which will fund projects like Read Across America across the continent. Through Literacy Alive! more than 24,000 children and their families become involved in a wide range of literacy skills-building programs that encourage lifelong learning. The Kappa Delta Pi Educational Foundation and the membership of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, support this initiative.

Along with helping with the Read Across America event, Campbellsville University's KEA-SP completed a semester's worth of work in December by having a book drive for the students at Taylor County Elementary School.

On Dec. 6, 2010, KEA-SP delivered the books to TCES and had a literacy carnival with the first grade students. Every first grade student received two books to take home, and KEA-SP also donated around 400 books to the school library.

The FEA chapter at TCHS helped with this project along with the community at CU. KEA-SP also received a Class Grant through the National Education Association to help purchase more books.

Faith Manion, a Leitchfield student and a member of the executive council of KEA-SP, said, “The KEA-SP team worked extremely hard and this definitely helped the students at TCES.”

KEA-SP also held a school supplies drive for the students at Campbellsville Elementary School last semester.
Baker said this semester plans are in the works to supply breakfast in the teacher lounges at all six schools in the county (Taylor County Elementary School, Taylor County Middle School, Taylor County High School, Campbellsville Elementary School, Campbellsville Middle School and Campbellsville High School) as a thank you.

“They are awesome with allowing education students to come to their classes to observe, teach lessons, and do other things our program requires, and we just want to do something to show them how much we appreciate them,” Baker said.

KEA-SP is also going to give back to the Campbellsville University School of Education. For the students they are going to have several PPDs (pre-professional developments.) Each education requires three and students are required to have 30 of these before they can student teach. Baker said that topics for these PPDs have not yet been discussed, but in the past “KEA-SP has sponsored PPDs on ethics, child abuse and neglect; as well as incorporating physical activity in the classroom.”

Baker said KEA-SP also tries to put on a movie night that can be counted for PPD credit.

Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with over 3,000 students offering 63 undergraduate programs, 17 master's degrees and five postgraduate areas. The website for complete information is Campbellsville.edu.