FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 31, 2008
Contact: Nanci Gonder, 573-751-0290

First Lady Discusses Novel with Students at Greenwood Lab School

SPRINGFIELD - First Lady Melanie Blunt today visited teachers and students at Greenwood Laboratory School in Springfield to read and discuss a selection from the Mark Twain Award book Shakespeare’s Secret by Elise Broach to a sixth grade classroom.

"It is so important that we foster a love of reading among our students and encourage them to discuss literature with their peers,” Mrs. Blunt said.  “I am so pleased that these sixth grade students already are on their way to a lifetime of learning, entertainment, and art through reading."

Greenwood Laboratory School participates in the Mark Twain Award program, which provides students with a list of quality books for its strong community of readers.  The Mark Twain Award is sponsored by the Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL).

The purpose of the Mark Twain Award program is to provide Missouri students with a recommended list of books that can enrich their lives through reading.  A new list of nominated books geared towards students in fourth through eighth grades is prepared each school year.  Students who read four or more of the nominated titles by the March deadline are eligible to vote for the book they believe should win the Mark Twain Award.

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