Prairie City School students in kindergarten, first and second grades, and some of the adult volunteers in the SMART program gather May 4 for an end of the year celebration. The program, which runs from October through May, is a national and statewide nonprofit that empowers children to have more success through books and reading. Adults involved in the program, in the photo, back row from left, are: Marge Walton, Bee Lim, Pastor Michael Harvey, Jen Jacobs and Sabrina Howard.

PRAIRIE CITY — It’s a partnership with one thing in common: a love of books and reading.

Prairie City School students in kindergarten, first and second grades and adult volunteers in the SMART — Start Making a Reader Today — program gathered May 4 for an end of the year celebration. Each student each received a certificate, a fun drinking straw and a book, specially selected by Prairie City SMART coordinator Sabrina Howard.

“We love to see the partnership between the students and community members,” Howard said.

SMART is a national and statewide nonprofit program that empowers children toward increased success through books and reading.

Participating students this year were kindergarteners Madilynne Cearns, Wyatt Davis, Nora Donathan, Anna Jacobs, Landyn Lewis, Sophia Teel, Rayne Thomas and Rylee Workman; first-graders Syntheia Bate, Erin Donathan, Ember Dutcher, Emma Field, Colbie Howard, Brenna Johns, Lea Koos, Dominic Lee, Jonathan Leighty, Brooklynn Mumpfield and Samuel Rausch; and second-graders Riley Davis, Madeline Hassmiller, Arianna Montwheeler, Kayden Mumpfield, Nick Perez, Jason Phillips, Keira Teel, Maison Teel, Izabella Williams and Mary Woodbury.

Volunteers were Bee Lim, Marge Walton, Jen Jacobs, Michael Harvey, Diane Burril, Pat Shull and Howard.

The program, which has been operating at Prairie City for 11 years, is held in one-hour sessions twice a week from October through May. Children receive a book twice a month to help them build their at-home library and share the love of reading with family and friends.

“Our school has a phenomenal Title 1 program to boost our literacy needs, but having the SMART program adds balance to help kids love to read and share the enthusiasm with their volunteer,” Howard said. “We are so fortunate to be able to serve our entire K-second grades.”