The Panora Police Department and the Panora Chamber of Commerce partnered recently to teach children values about being good members of their community with a new reading program.

Panora Police Chief Matt Reising proposed providing books for the first and fourth grade students, and several Panora businesses helped pay for the books which were distributed last week. Reising commented on one of the book selections, “The book is very good it teaches morals, character, also it teaches respect and warns about the dangers of (the) internet so that’s what I liked about it.”

Elementary Principal Liz Ratcliff shared why it’s important for students to read these books, “I think kind of like what Matt said a little bit, about building the community not only in the classroom but out in our community, and I think that’s why having community members be involved in this process is really good. It talks a lot about friendship and the social skills when they’re out in the community but also when they’re here at school, showing good character, showing good manners.”

Ratcliff said the first and fourth grade teachers will develop their own strategy for teaching the book’s lessons to the students, and plans on the students writing thank you notes to the local businesses who helped provide the books.