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Published Tuesday, October 13, 2009 in Education

Atkinson Elementary to be recognized for 'Picturing America' program

By Jeff Bishop

The Times-Herald

The Coweta County Board of Education will recognize Atkinson Elementary School tonight for its participation in the "Picturing America" program.

The school board will meet tonight, Oct. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Jackson Street office.

"Picturing America," sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, introduces citizens of every age to America's history and culture by bringing great works of American art into classrooms and libraries. Atkinson Elementary received a grant that will bring the We the People "Picturing America" Bookshelf to the school as a literary complement of the National Endowment for the Humanities "Picturing America" visual arts project.

Instead of paint, marble, silver, or glass, words are the media used in this program to portray significant themes in American history and culture.

Young readers will be invited to steer their way across the continent by river with Lewis and Clark in 1802, travel the railroad with Robert Louis Stevenson in 1879, or drive along the open highways with John Steinbeck and his dog Charley in 1960.

Four thousand libraries received the "Picturing America" Bookshelf -- a collection of 17 classic hardcover books for young readers, all on the "Picturing America" theme.

The application period for the grant was September 2008, through January 30, 2009. In April 2009, some 4,000 libraries received the "Picturing America" Bookshelf. Programs on the theme "Picturing America" theme take place in libraries between May 1, 2009, and April 30, 2010.

Books selected for the "Picturing America" Bookshelf were:

Kindergarten to Grade 3

* "Walt Whitman: Words for America" by Barbara Kerley

* "Cosechando esperanza: La historia de César Chávez" by Kathleen Krull (translated by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy)

* "Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez" by Kathleen Krull

* "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

* "Sweet Music in Harlem" by Debbie Taylor

Grades 4 to 6

* "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

* "American Tall Tales" by Mary Pope Osborne

* "On the Wings of Heroes" by Richard Peck

* "Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule" by Harriette Gillem Robinet

* "The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe" by Roland Smith.

In addition to these books, Atkinson School will receive three of these books in Spanish translation, two "Books for Readers of All Ages," and materials for programming, including bookplates, bookmarks, and posters.

"Picturing America" has provided art and books to 29,086 schools and public libraries in its latest initiative. To date, more than 76,000 schools, public libraries, and Head Start centers nationwide have been awarded the free education resource.

"America has a remarkable story, filled with riveting chapters and extraordinary heroes. Picturing America brings this story to life through forty compelling images," said NEH Chairman Bruce Cole. "The Endowment is awarding this tremendous resource to more than 29,000 additional schools and public libraries, so that students and citizens of all ages can gain a deeper understanding of American history in a direct and engaging new way."

The Coweta school board will also be recognizing the Coweta County Sheriff's Office's Project SAFE (Students Are For Education) program tonight.

This program reaches out to about 10,000 elementary students in 20 schools in the county.

Approximately 2,000 T-shirts are distributed annually to every fifth-grader who graduates from the SAFE program. The program also gives away an award for the best essay written by a student who commits to stay drug-free.

The school board also plans to approve the close-out of Brooks Elementary School, approve the Title 50 resolution for K-8 class size waivers, approve a fueling station in Pine Road, approve the 2009 Georgia School Board Association legislative liaison, and appoint student tribunal hearing officers.

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