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Public Schools Month Starts Strong

In honor of Public Schools Month, Santa Clara Valley Masons are helping foster a love of reading in San Jose’s youngest students.

At an April 1 public schools celebration, 13 Masonic groups from the San Jose area and the California Masonic Foundation presented $25,000 to the San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD). Their gift will provide 34 kindergarten classrooms with the Take Home Book Program, which partners with families to increase literacy skills in young readers.

Bachrodt Academy, an elementary school in San Jose, hosted the Public Schools Month Kickoff, along with school district representatives and Grand Lodge leadership. As part of the program, students led tours and gave choir and Folklorico dance performances. More than 150 students, Masons, district representatives, and members of the community attended.

The Masons of California have helped make public education a focal issue in California since 1920, including the annual observance of Public Schools Month.


Photo: Before the program began, Grand Master Kenneth G. Nagel met with students and read aloud to a kindergarten classroom - which earned him a special seat for the event. Here, the group watches a Folklorico dance, performed by fellow students.