- Jungle Jama and Reading Ranger teach a song to Jungle Bus visitors. The Jungle Bus distributed over 3,000 books to local children. (Contributed)
The Troup County High School Beta Club will host a children’s book drive in April.
From April 4 through April 22, the THS Beta Club will be asking the community to bring gently used or new children’s books to one of three high school drop boxes. All books will go directly to the Jungle Bus, a Troup County School System reading initiative led by reading advocates Gail Gordon and Nicole Kennedy, aka “Mama Jama” and “Reading Ranger.”
Kennedy said the Jungle Bus often relies on book readers like the THS Beta Club to keep its bus well stocked throughout the year.
“Gail and I went to THS one day after school a few weeks ago and gave a presentation at the BETA Club on The Jungle Bus, why it was started, the grade level reading challenge at the end of the third year and the importance of it,” Kennedy said.
Since conceiving the Jungle Bus five years ago, Kennedy and Gordon have had up to four groups a year contact them to start a drive, mostly collecting lightly used books. On occasion, the Jungle Bus may receive new books from other community sources, such as the L4GA grant via TCSS and the Centraide.
Books can be dropped off in rooms B116 or A100 at Troup County High School or at the Media Center during school hours.
