Each first-grade class at Madison and Eastside Schools traveled to Southwestern Oregon Community College on Wednesday to celebrate reading.
The first-grade students from Coos Bay School District joined first graders from North Bend, Coquille, Reedsport and even Powers at the sixth Gift of Literacy hosted by the Coos-Bay North Bend Rotary Club.
The celebration of reading celebrated with a skit from the youth performers from Liberty on the Bay before Miss Coos County’s Teen Myla Johnson talked to the students about her love for reading.
The students received a special treat when volunteers read books to each class. The volunteers ranged from police and fire department officials in Coos Bay and North Bend to Rotarians, representatives from SWOCC and a few business leaders in the community.
To close out the event, the Rotary Club presented gift bags to every student – all 700 plus of them – that included two books, coloring books, pencils, an art kit and a fidget spinner.