Three days following her last inauguration as head of government for Alabama, Governor Kay Ivey visited Chisholm Elementary School in Montgomery to deliver books and visit with students.
Ivey said during her inaugural address on the steps of the State Capitol building, roughly seven minutes from Chisholm, that education is her “number one focus” for her final term in office.
During Ivey’s visit on Wednesday, the governor gifted books to each third grader and urged them “to read every day” and find books on topics that interest them, according to a statement released by the Governor’s Office on Wednesday. Ivey herself was a high school teacher while living in California during the late 1960s.
“I was truly encouraged when I met some of the students at Chisholm Elementary today,” Ivey said in a statement released on Wednesday. “These children just lit up when they had a book in their hands, and that was exciting to see. I urge all of my fellow Alabamians to encourage our children to read. This is a vital skill to life, and I am committed to seeing all Alabama students achieve success with reading and in school.”
Chisholm Elementary School, located near the Montgomery Zoo in the city’s northern expanse, is one of the 15 schools included in the state’s Turnaround Schools Initiative: A state program to support elementary schools in impoverished areas that are challenged by academic underperformance.
The program allocated $15 million in total funds to assist each of the schools.
