Reading may not be every student's strong suit, but at Brookdale Elementary in Macon, they're working hard to make sure students keep turning pages.
Two of those students are Adianna Davis and Mikyah Barnes, whose stories did not always include a love for literacy.
"When I first started reading to my momma, I was struggling," Davis said.
"It was difficult for me to read books," Barnes explained.
That was in kindergarten.
A few chapters later, as third graders, their passion for words goes far beyond the first page.
"I love books a lot," Davis said.
"I think they are very helpful to learn," Barnes said.
Kat Hennings is the United Way Tutor Coordinator at Brookdale and helps students just like Davis and Barnes stay on track when it comes reading.
She stepped in to help the girls when their teachers first identified their slow start to embracing books.
"If a student can't read by the third grade, chances are they won't finish high school," Hennings said.
So she encouraged the girls to keep trying and to keep reading.
Now, Davis and Barnes are putting their skills to work, teaching a new round of kindergartners to read.
It's a fairytale ending Davis' mom didn't see coming.
"Now that she's progressing in reading, that's a big thumbs up to me," Davis' mom, Cortney Robinson, said.
The two girls read to kindergartners once a week, to help fulfill their motto: 'Read to succeed.'
"Don't give up on reading," Davis said.
Davis and Barnes hope they can share the power words have had on their lives with others; making a daunting task, seem a little more like a fairytale.
The Read to Succeed program is in its third year at Brookdale and serves kids from kindergarten to third grade.
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