(COLUMBIA, MO) – Authors visited with students at elementary, middle and high schools throughout Columbia Public Schools on Friday as part of a grant from the Columbia Public Schools Foundation (CPSF).

The $15,000 Foundation grant provided funds for author visits to the schools as well as materials for students to read books by the authors prior to the visits. Authors visited students at Shepard, New Haven, Ridgeway, Fairview, and Blue Ridge Elementary Schools; Oakland, Gentry and West Middle Schools; and all four CPS high schools, Hickman, Battle, Rock Bridge, and Douglass.

“We’re happy to support the Authors in Schools program to bring authors into our public schools to visit and read with students at all levels,” said Lynn Barnett, president of the CPSF Board of Directors. “It’s always engaging for students to read a book and then meet the author in-person and have the opportunity to interact and ask questions.”

The Authors in Schools program is part of the Unbound Book Festival, which aims to bring nationally and internationally recognized authors to Columbia to talk about their books, their work, and their lives. The Columbia Public Schools Foundation is a private foundation established by community volunteers dedicated to the enrichment of public education through community giving. The Foundation has funded projects in every school to enhance education in the Columbia Public Schools allocating more than $1 million to enhance education in the Columbia Public Schools. CPSF has supported teachers and students for more than 20 years.