( Jackson , Miss.) -- Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) delivered learning materials from its partner, WGBH-Boston, to Lockard Elementary in Indianola in response to a tornado striking the school in March.
According to MPB School Services Director Pam Berberette, the items came as a result of Chris Cerf, an executive producer of the national PBS Kids series Between the Lions , hearing of Lockard Elementary being struck by a tornado. He contacted WGBH-Boston, a Between the Lions production partner of Cerf and MPB.
Materials delivered included new and gently-used children's books, ZOOM pencils, PBS Families publications, special Arthur episode with accompanying Helping Our Children Feel Safe guide for parents, and a gift certificate.
The gently-used children's books and gift certificate were donated by Belmont Day School , a local school in Boston .
Lockard Elementary Principal Stanley Lott responded, "We thank Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Chris, and all our friends in Boston for everything. Our students and teachers will certainly enjoy these books and materials."
According to Berberette, Lockard Elementary was one of two schools MPB and WGBH-Boston partnered with in 2001 as a research project regarding Between the Lions , involving its kindergarten and first grade classes. Community training sessions were held, along with Between the Lions tapes placed at the public library, day care centers, and Head Start centers. The research indicated Between the Lions is a viable addition to the school's reading curriculum.
This initial collaboration was the catalyst for producing the six-time Emmy® Award-winning PBS Kids series, Between the Lions , in the Jackson studios of MPB and using its content to train staff at day care centers that are not traditional learning centers how to use the program to teach their pre-kindergarten children to recognize, verbalize, and understand words to enhance their reading skills.
For more information regarding MPB, visit www.mpbonline.org .
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Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) delivered learning materials to Indianola's Lockard Elementary after learning of a tornado striking the school in March.
Front row (left to right): Alexandria Wraggs, Latarja Payne, Al'Breisha Robinson, Luz Elena Mata, and Remington Summerford.
Back row (left to right): Maude Wayne, librarian; Rep. Sara Thomas; Stanley Lott, principal; Gloria Jimison, library assistant; and Pam Berberette, MPB school services director.