Governor's Award of Distinction

Spann Elementary School (Jackson Public School District) with MS Office of Humanities, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Bellwether Community Church, Jr. League of Jackson, First Baptist Jackson, Jackson Academy, and MS Children’s Museum. “Prime Time Literacy” and “Planting the Seeds to Read” program to address literacy accomplishment and success, and improve student achievement.

In the spring of 2019, MS Humanities Council, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and First Baptist Church Jackson, Jackson Academy, and MS Children’s Museum collaborated with Spann and Bellwether Community Church – an established Adopt-A-School partner – to launch Prime Time Literacy Sessions and the Planting the Seeds to Read Program.

Students from Spann, their parents, foster parents, grandparents, siblings, and a plethora of community volunteers met together in the evenings at Bellwether to share meals together and be a part of outstanding storytelling experiences. These sessions provided Spann families the opportunities to engage in powerful literacy evenings that focused on topics found in award winning children’s literature. Families enjoyed free, weekly meals together – donated and served by community partner volunteers. Each week students were given three character building texts of literature to read at home. Families were gifted new books to begin building home libraries, gift cards and ‘happy bags’ of donated items from partners.

The powerful community actions of Prime Time and alliances between home, school and community made a tangible difference in the lives of the students and their literacy skills.