SALT LAKE CITY — Dozens of students at Backman Elementary School gathered with winter olympic athletes to learn about the Utah 2034 Champion Schools initiative.
The 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games, along with Ken Garff for Good, are launching this in 72 elementary schools across the state. Throughout this week, they'll be heading to different schools to do their own opening ceremony to launch the program, bringing along some Olympic athletes to speak at each school during the assembly.
Amy Garff, chair of the Olympic Education Committee for the Utah 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games, said they're focusing on literacy and attendance levels in school.
"This is a unique pairing of Olympic and Paralympic values that these athletes have to come, they have to show up, they have to work hard and be present in their training, which is similar to what we are trying to encourage students to do in the state of Utah," she said. "To attend school and when they are attending school be there not physically but mentally as well."
The new program aims to help students track their reading and become more excited about reading. Kathi Garff said this isn't just getting the students excited about the Olympic games but about reading and their education.
"These children will be adults when the Olympics come," she said. "and we want them to be fully aware of what the olympics me. We want them to be literate. We want them to be really good at reading."
