For the 16th consecutive year, community celebrity readers shared their favorite children’s books and stories at Bowie Elementary School’s “Reading Rodeo” on Oct. 10.
Among the celebrity readers were Dyess Air Force Base service members, a local EMT, Abilene media personalities, AISD administrators and school board trustees. In addition, several athletes and spirit leaders from Cooper High School served as readers, and the Chick-fil-A Cow mascot made a guest appearance.
Many students and teachers were dressed in costumes as their favorite storybook characters for the special day, which culminated with a Storybook Character Parade in front of the campus.
“Reading Rodeo” is a popular event sponsored by the Abilene chapter of Altrusa International, Inc. Altrusa is an international women’s service organization dedicated to promoting literacy and serving communities.
As a “Make a Difference Day” project 16 years ago, the local chapter launched “Reading Rodeo” at Bowie. Now, members also donate books and flash cards each year to every Bowie student, and five years ago, they expanded their effort by offering children’s dictionaries to every 3rd grader enrolled in AISD.
