DALLAS, TX (February 20, 2023) – The Dallas Education Foundation and Kia America are proud to announce a 3-day Literacy Summit at S.S. Conner Elementary School, aiming to advance literacy by providing students the opportunity to create and add to their home library collections. An additional 300 new books will be added to Conner’s library collection. The event is scheduled to take place on February 21st through the 23rd.
“We are so pleased at Kia America to be supporting childhood literacy and helping students at S.S. Conner Elementary School to fall in love with reading. It’s a wonderful opportunity for each of these children to bring 3 books home with them as well as add new books to their school library”, says Kia America Scott Martin.
The Literacy Summit is open to all students at S.S. Conner Elementary School from Pre-K to 5th grade and will feature a Scholastic Book Fair and read-along sessions with teachers tying the reading material to the classroom instruction. Approximately 200 students will attend the Literacy Summit each day.
During the Summit, students will spend at least one class period exploring the books on offer and choosing three (3) books to take home, with the guidance of their teacher or media specialist to ensure materials are relevant and age appropriate. Teachers will facilitate guided read-along sessions with the selected books, encouraging interaction and participation from students.
S.S. Conner Elementary School will receive 300 additional books for the school library and teacher book sets. The new books will be available for students to check out from the school library, thereby enhancing the reading experiences of students.
“We are thrilled to partner with Kia America and the Dallas Education Foundation to bring this exciting Literacy Summit to S.S. Conner Elementary School,” said Principal Kiashan King. “Literacy is a fundamental building block for success, and we believe that this event, which ties the books on offer with instruction, will have a positive impact on our students for years to come.”
Mita Havlick, Executive Director of the Dallas Education Foundation adds, “Together with Kia America and Dallas ISD, we are helping to create a lifelong love of reading by providing students agency in selecting and curating a home library of books they find culturally relevant and of interest.”
The Dallas Education Foundation is committed to advancing literacy, supporting early learning, and driving postsecondary success at Dallas ISD through the funding and organization of initiatives like the Literacy Summit at S.S. Conner Elementary School.
The 3-day book summit is open to all students at S.S. Conner Elementary School and will take place on February 21st – February 23rd. For more information about the event, please contact azel@highlyte.com
About Dallas ISD: The Dallas Independent School District is continually preparing its more than 143,000 students for college or a career. The district offers a competitive mix of innovative programs, choice programs, and instructional initiatives that support the increased academic achievement and the social and emotional development of its students. To learn more, visit www.dallasisd.org.
About Kia America: Kia’s “Accelerate the Good” charitable initiative has donated more than $14 million to various nonprofit causes since 2019, from establishing scholarships for students in need looking to pursue their dreams of higher education; allowing high schools to re-establish their football programs after pandemic-induced budget cuts; providing PPE to medical facilities nationwide during the pandemic; and helping the homeless population throughout the U.S. In addition, Kia has provided donations to animal welfare organizations including those that help rescue and preserve the endangered sea turtle population; and ones that help shelter animals find their forever homes. Most recently, Kia announced a minimum donation of $1 million[i] to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, marking it the third act of giving to St. Jude’s this year. Previous donations to the organization were announced as part of the 10 millionth Kia vehicle sold in the U.S., and again as part of the groundbreaking announcement for a new assembly plant in the state of Georgia.
About The Dallas Education Foundation: With a mission to inspire community investment to accelerate student success, the Dallas Education Foundation serves as the designated philanthropic partner of the Dallas Independent School District. The foundation is committed to advancing literacy, supporting early learning, and accelerating postsecondary success for the students of Dallas ISD. To support the mission, follow everywhere @dallasedfound or visit www.dallasedfound.org
Media Contact: azel@highlyte.com
