More than 1,000 students chanted “We love Clifford!” as the Big Red Dog landed in KSL-TV Chopper 5 at both Sandy and Midvalley elementary schools on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. The beloved book character visited the Canyons District schools as part of the Read Today program.
“This is all about the love of reading and creating a new world for yourself every time you open a new book,” Will Iverson, a representative with Scholastic, said to the enthusiastic kids. “We love to see how excited you are about reading and about books.”
Clifford was joined by KSL-TV anchor Nadine Wimmer, representatives from Big O Tires, who donated $1,000 in books to each school, executives from Scholastic, volunteers from AmeriCorps and literacy tutors from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Involvement in the Read Today program is part of the District’s mission to boost reading scores and encourage children to develop a lifelong love of books. Sandy Elementary principal Sandra Dahl-Houlihan said she’s noticed her student’s reading levels have increased especially amongst the sixth graders since implementing the program.
