Muskogee Public Schools Launches Read.Play.Talk Initiative

MUSKOGEE, Okla. — The Muskogee Public School District is launching a new program focusing on student literacy. The goal is to develop a love of reading and learning in students.

2 News heard from two librarians who say the new venture will ultimately lead to more successful students.

In Mrs. Landers’ library, a group of first-grade students are reviewing the book of the day. Tony Goetz Elementary School librarian is one of nine in the district excited about the new venture that will take the library on a journey.

“It’s like the fulfillment of so much work that we put into making this dream come true,” said Gina Batie.

Gina Batie is the librarian at Cherokee Elementary and the district’s Teacher of the Year. He says the book bus is a new way to increase student access to books in Muskogee Public Schools.

“Our overall goal is to really try to build our students’ home libraries because the most important metric is access to print,” Batie said. “If you have access to a printout of your reading, and your vocabulary will be much richer than if you didn’t have it.”

The interior of the bus is not completely finished yet, but once it is operational, students will be able to get free books inside and even sit inside and read with librarians, family and friends.

The book bus is part of the Read.Play.Talk initiative. Mandy Cumbey says each of these steps helps develop a student’s language skills.

“Through their social interactions, vocabulary is a huge part of everything we do,” Mandy Cumbey said.

Cumbey is Educator of the Year and Librarian at Sadler Arts Academy. He says the ultimate goal is to prepare students for success.

“Students who immerse themselves in books from a young age will typically have a better vocabulary and, as they get older, they will be more successful in school,” Cumbey said.

The book bus is expected to be operational in spring 2025. It will run on weekends, during special events and during summer breaks.

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