Park Hill School Of International Studies will launch a fundraising drive to benefit Heifer International’s “Read To Feed” Program with a special Parade Of Nations at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1.

The “Read To Feed” program encourages children to read for pleasure and understanding. The program fits with the ongoing Million Words campaign, a district literacy initiative designed to encourage each student to read one million words each year.

“Read To Feed” also has a strong Denver connection. The University of Denver’s Center for Teaching International Relations developed four standards-based units of instruction to support “Read To Feed.” Two of three teachers who developed those units are teachers in Denver Public Schools; the third is from Boulder.

The “Read To Feed” program is a way for schools and students to raise funds for Heifer International, a non-profit organization that provides “living loans” of animals to impoverished families around the world. The livestock help families lift themselves out of poverty and achieve self-reliance.

The curriculum units ˆ in science, geography, civics, economics, and language arts ˆ are geared for third and fourth grade students and are based on “Beatrice’s Goat,” a story about how a goat changed the life of a Ugandan girl.

Caroline Starbird at the Center for Teaching International Relations led the curriculum unit project. The three teachers involved were Sandy Stokely (Ellis Elementary School), Janet Pommrehn (Holm Elementary School) and Phyllis Bye, a retired teacher from Boulder Valley School District.

The entire Park Hill student body will read “Beatrice’s Goat” during the month of October as part of the “Million Words” campaign.

For the Parade Of Nations, each class has chosen a country to represent and is making a homemade flag to carry. Kindergarteners will carry posters of Heifer animals and older students will read about how Heifer uses the animals. The student body will also sing “America The Beautiful.”

The event will be held on the playground on the south side of Park Hill, located at 5050 E. 19th Ave.

For more than 35 years, the Center for Teaching International Relations (CTIR) has published high quality materials on international studies for use in K-12 classrooms. As an integral part of the University of Denver's Graduate School of International Studies, CTIR is dedicated to improving public understanding of international affairs. Both CTIR director Mark Montgomery and project manager Caroline Starbird are available to answer questions about integrating international issues into the classroom.

For more information, please call the school, 303-322-1811; the DPS Public Information Office, 720-423-3414; or Caroline Starbird at the Center for Teaching International Studies, 303-871-2426.