Reading a chapter book is a major educational milestone for children, and one organization hopes its reading program will make the experience memorable for Delta students.
Tim Farley — son of author Walter Farley, who wrote “The Black Stallion” — and horse enthusiast Mark Miller founded the Black Stallion Literacy Foundation in 1999 to motivate older students to experience the joy of reading.
“For a lot of kids, ‘The Black Stallion’ may be the first chapter book they not only read but will have,” said Tim Henderson, president of the Black Stallion Literacy Program. “Many of their parents will probably remember reading the book as well, and it can be something they share.”
Although it has been more than 70 years since Walter Farley wrote the book, it continues to be a classroom favorite for young readers. Through the literacy program, Tim Farley and Miller have found a new way to bring the story to life.
Students will be given personal copies of “The Black Stallion,” provided through the foundation. Participating Delta classes also will get to see a live performance at the Leflore County Agri-Center by the Arabian Nights horse show from Orlando, Fla., and a special appearance by Walter Farley’s Black Stallion.
“Horses are the hook to this program, and they are very effective,” Henderson said. “Horses have always drawn kids in because they are interesting to both boys and girls in elementary school and something they are excited about.”
The organization uses a simple approach that has expanded from a single program into a 10-state curriculum, including its recent decision to start a program in Mississippi last year.
“When we were looking to plant seeds in some new states, we were looking for states that have our core values,” said Henderson. “We felt Mississippi would be a good fit.”
The program debuted in Jackson in 2009 and served the central Mississippi schools. This year, it will expand into four regions of the state.
For the Delta, the program is targeting fifth-grade students in 12 counties: Leflore, Carroll, Bolivar, Yalobusha, Sunflower, Holmes, Tallahatchie, Washington, Grenada, Humphreys, Montgomery and Sharkey. About 300 students from the participating school systems have signed up.
“The enrollment has been low, but we are here for a long-term investment of encouraging reading success,” Henderson said. “It is a classic book, and the show is a blast.”
Teachers who sign their classes up for the program receive a curriculum aligned with national and state teaching standards. They also receive a copy of “The Black Stallion” for each student to keep, a copy of the DVD of the movie, and and tickets to the performance at the Agri-Center, which is open only to students, teacher and administrators.
The program costs $20 per student but the BSLF funds $10 for each student. This year, the program will serve more than 80,000 students nationally.
There will also be a public performance by the Arabian Nights horses and Farley’s Black Stallion at 7 p.m. April 16 at the Leflore County Agri-Center.
Admission is $10. All proceeds for the public performance will be donated by the Arabian Nights to help fund the 2011 BSLF program in the Greenwood area. Those recipients include next year’s participants and the Leflore County 4-H, which will be selling the tickets.
For more information on the BSLF program and how to register students, contact Karen J. McCord of the BSLF Board of Directors at (601) 951-1034 or e-mail bslf.ms@comcast.net or visit www.bslf-online.org.
nContact Andrea Hall at ahall@gwcommonwealth.com.
