For Immediate Release February 1, 2006

For More Information Contact: Kim Sorrell, 317-278-2322

George Washington Schools to Receive Money, Books from IUPUI

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis L ibrary Dean David Lewis will present school officials at George Washington Community Schools with a check for $1,200 and 167 new Scholastic books at the Basketball & Books pep rally on Feb. 3. Khaula Murtadha, executive associate dean for the School of Education will present the school with an additional 100 new Scholastic books.  

The pep rally will be held at 9:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 3, 2006, in the West Gymnasium at George Washington Community School, 2215 W. Washington St.

IUPUI's Head Basketball Coaches Shann Hart and Ron Hunter and student-athletes of the Jaguars men's and women's basketball teams have been invited to take part in the reading pep rally. The coaches and their teams will talk with Washington students about the importance of reading and the importance of finishing high school and going to college.

Last month, the library collaborated with the School of Library and Information Science and the School of Education, both at IUPUI, to sponsor a five-day book fair. More than 35 staff, faculty and student volunteers donated their time to help make the fund-raiser a success. The money and books will go to help maintain the media center and classroom library collections at Washington.

The event underscores the commitment of University Library to be an unparalleled source of information for campus neighbors and to reach out to help build strong neighborhood public school libraries.

“This program provides resources that can help jump-start young people along the path to academic success,” Lewis said.

The Basketball & Books program promotes reading literacy, athletic scholarships and civic engagement. ###