Children at Southern Nevada schools will benefit from Cox Communications’ entertaining initiative to discover the joy of reading during Nevada Reading Week, April 6 to 12. For the third consecutive year, employees will volunteer to don the clothes of colorful characters and read books to students at Vegas Verdes Elementary School, 4000 El Parque Avenue, and Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, “J” Street and West Lake Mead Boulevard.
Students are in for a treat as they listen to stories told by some of their favorite characters, such as Cinderella, who will read the book of her namesake and other fairy tales. The symbol of patriotism, Uncle Sam, will read about July 4th, while Mother Goose, the matriarch of children’s stories, will read nursery rhymes. Dr. Seuss will recite the whimsical “The Cat in the Hat” and an astronaut will read about space travel.
“Each year, we support Nevada Reading Week by sending our executives to read to children,” said Stephanie Stallworth, director of public affairs for Cox Communications. “It’s quite involved and time-consuming, but when you see the children’s eyes light up, it’s well worth it.” This year, more than 30 volunteer readers are participating in Nevada Reading Week. The program has grown so popular that the number of volunteers has nearly tripled since its debut.
Cox Communications plays a big role in the community, focusing on children, family and education. The company’s philosophy of, “If you can’t do something well, you shouldn’t do it at all,” is the reason it doesn’t branch out into other areas of community service and works diligently on its targeted efforts.
In keeping with goals to bring education to the classroom, the company installed a complete fiber network throughout the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in October. The Academy, now “wired to the hilt,” is the first Cox Communications’ Model Technology School to debut in the Valley and one of eight in the nation. The school now receives educational “Cable in the Classroom” programming, high-speed Internet access and e-mail for school staff.
“Cox Communications is proud to have established a Model Technology School at the Academy,” said Steve Schorr, vice president of public and government affairs for Cox Communications. “In the case of the Academy, our donation of fiber has allowed the school to focus on providing technology education to all students, which is one of its primary learning objectives.”
Cox Communications’ GoalGetters, an annual educational initiative, is a performance-based incentive program for students, designed to acknowledge their achievements in education. Students strive to succeed in academics, attendance and citizenship with the bonus of rewards for fulfilling their goals. Students can earn everything from scholarships, savings bonds and family trips to computers, video rentals and fast-food meals. GoalGetters, which is endorsed by the Clark County School District, has enrolled 182 schools and a total of 175,000 students.
Demonstrating the power of cable to talk and communicate internationally, Cox Communications partnered with CNN to host “Behind the Scenes with CNN: The News You Don’t See” in October. Students from 35 schools nationwide talked with news correspondents in Baghdad, Washington, DC and Atlanta via the Internet.
“Cox Communications connected the students at Foot Hill High School, in Henderson, with the rest of the world,” said Stallworth. “Since the school is active in broadcasting and journalism, we hosted the live Webcast there. Students were able to ask the correspondents questions about their jobs in the media.”
Atlanta-based Cox Communications, Inc. is the nation’s fifth-largest broadband communications company, serving approximately 6.2 million customers. The largest cable provider in Southern Nevada, Cox’s cable system offers an array of services in the area, including cable television, advanced digital video programming, high-speed Internet service and commercial data services.