Farmers Branch Elementary School Opens
Student-Run Bookstore

Farmers Branch, TX., February 2, 2006 – Beginning Friday, February 3, 2006, students at Farmers Branch Elementary School will have the opportunity to purchase quality books from their new student-run bookstore, The Books Galore Bookstore. A ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opening the bookstore will take place at 7:30 a.m.

This specially-designed bookstore allows students to work as cashiers, book critics, security guards, stock clerks, advertising executives and many other roles, building confidence, trust, loyalty and understanding of basic business skills.

In September, Voyager Expanded Learning® donated more than 1000 books to Farmers Branch Elementary during its International Literacy Day celebration. Voyager employees donated new or gently used books for students or gave a cash donation of $5, which bought three new books. Each student initially picked one book and the remainder were distributed to classrooms, the school library and now, the bookstore.

Schoolwide, Inc., the company behind the Student-Run Bookstore Program awarded Farmers Branch Elementary with the store set up and 200 additional books.

"We selected Farmers Branch Elementary as a winner of our student-run bookstore contest because we saw a great need for this program in their school and a great passion in Amy Irvin, the applicant and CIS Campus Manager, to run an excellent bookstore," says Stephanie Klempner, director of marketing for Schoolwide, Inc. "We were struck by the school's need - where 85% of their students are receiving free or reduced lunch. We believe the program will increase their students' love of reading and build confidence and pride in the student workers. We are very excited to see the results of this very promising bookstore."

Book prices will range from $.50-$1.50. The Books Galore Bookstore is open from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. every Friday throughout the school year.

 

About Voyager Expanded Learning

Voyager Expanded Learning provides core, intervention and supplemental reading programs, as well as math intervention and ongoing professional development programs for school districts throughout the United States. Founded in 1994, Voyager has delivered extended-time reading and basic skills intervention programs as well as large-scale reading programs to more than 1,000 school districts in cities such as Dallas, Phoenix, New York, Philadelphia and the District of Columbia, resulting in dramatically improved student performance. Partnership and collaborations with the Discovery Channel enable Voyager to provide timely and powerful curricula for the American classroom. Voyager Expanded Learning, L.P. is a business unit of ProQuest Company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.voyagerlearning.com or call 1-888-399-1995 .

About Schoolwide, Inc.

Schoolwide, Inc. is a leading distributor of books and educational materials to the school market. Our objective is to deliver quality educational products and programs that meet the instructional needs of K-12 educators. We are partners with some of the country’s most respected educational organizations. Our products and programs include primary and secondary book catalogs, the Student-Run Bookstore Program and Teacherwide.com.

 

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