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Back L-R: Emily Albers, Liz Ratcliffe, Troy Reinhart, Matt Reising. Front L-R: Cruz Stanley, Hannah Dishman, Adley Ratcliff, Lyvia Reising, Sofie Reising.

The Panora Police Department and Panora Chamber of Commerce partnered again this year to give free books to elementary students teaching ethics and how to be a good community citizen.

Police Chief Matt Reising, Panora Hometown Foods Manager Troy Reinhart, and Emily Albers of Nutriom presented books to the first and fourth grade Panorama students Wednesday. Principal Liz Ratcliffe commented on the program, “The books are great because they follow our guidance curriculum and it’s of course one more way of getting books in kids hands and we know how important literacy is. And then the fact that they get to take it home and share it with their parents, it gives their parents an idea of what we’re teaching here in our schools and what our guidance curriculum is all about and kind of the principles and the character that we want our kids to have.”

Reising was approached by a publishing company last year for this two-year opportunity of offering the books, “I really liked them just because it’s teaching kids things that probably our society isn’t being taught now unfortunately. But really it didn’t have anything to do with me, it was the sponsors of the businesses in town that decided this is something that we want to provide to the school.”

Some Panorama students had something nice to say to those who visited Wednesday, “Thank you.”

Reising adds if it weren’t for the Chamber members’ support this event may have not happened.