Troup County Schools Awarded Grant

Elementary schools in Troup County are getting new material for free and this isn’t the first time.

The books are flying off the shelves at Cannon Street Elementary School in LaGrange.

And it’s thanks to these new books.

“It’s very exciting for the boys and girls and it was exciting, we saw a increase of the number of books checked out, non-fiction books, that’s great because we have a lot of struggling readers and to get them excited about reading and that’s the first step,” says Candace McGhee, the Principal of Cannon Street Elementary.

Last year, Troup County Schools received a grant for $300,000 from the US Department of Education.

And they got it again this year.

Another $300,000 to help teach social studies.

“If children don’t know how to read, they’re not successful so we’re really building the foundation of success for every student that walks through our doors,” Pat Barton, Elementary Curriculum Director.

There are 13 elementary schools in the county and all of those schools will be getting new material.

Each school will be getting 500 new books.

And globes, maps and much more.

Students here at Cannon Street are definitely using the new material.

And administrators could not be more pleased.

“Children who are engaged in learning in a very unique and new way and that’s exciting to me,” says Barton.

The program and materials proved to be a success the first year, and it looks like it will be a hit this year too.

The Troup County School District is the only district in the state to receive this grant.

More than 500 districts applied for the grant across the country and only 78 were selected.