The Clinton County News, in conjunction with the Kentucky Press Association and the Lexington Herald Leader/Newspaper in Education, will be one of nearly 60 newspapers across Kentucky to participate in the Newspaper In Education Project this fall in an effort to benefit elementary aged students.

The program here will provide workbooks and a scheduled list of activities to more than 250 students at Albany Elementary School.

The program will last for 10 weeks and is centered around a story that will be presented in 10 separate chapters in the pages of the Clinton County News.

In addition to being studied by the elementary school students, adult readers are invited to tag along on the adventure as well by enjoying the continuing story each week.

The Misadventures of Woody and Chloe is a story written by Kentucky author Leigh Anne Florence and this season is titled Made From Scratch.

The story follows two “wiener dogs” – Woody and Chloe, as they discover products made in Kentucky and learn how entrepreneurs go about getting their products to market.

Florence is Kentucky born, Kentucky bred, Kentucky educated, a Kentucky Colonel, and the Kentucky author of the popular series, Woody, The Kentucky Wiener. A native of Murray, Kentucky, Florence is a 1990 graduate of Calloway County High School. In 1996 she received her Masters of Music Education from Murray State University.

She now resides in Shepherdsville, Kentucky with husband Ron and a host of animals, most notably her black and tan miniature dachshund, Woody, who is the star character in her children’s series, Woody, The Kentucky Wiener.

After seven years as a public school music teacher, Florence resigned from her teaching duties to concentrate on writing and public speaking. Leigh Anne, accompanied by Ron and the entire wiener dog gang, spends her days in schools, libraries, and other venues speaking on Woody’s Five Ways to Be Successful. In addition to schools and libraries, Leigh Anne has become an in-demand speaker for church events, women’s’ groups, and community organizations.

Made from Scratch is illustrated by Kentucky artist Chris Ware, who works as an illustrator for the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper and has also had his work published in a host of national publications.

Also a Kentucky artist Chris Ware, being the father of seven, and consequently, a part-time small animal wrangler (snakes, frogs, hedge hogs, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, baby birds, turtles and fish), it is inevitable that kids and critters are his favorite things to illustrate. Family dogs Stella and Moose were consulted on each and every drawing of Woody and Chloe, and they have given their highest accolades… five (out of five) barks!

In the program, each of the third and fourth grade students at Albany Elementary School, in addition to the structured activities that are designed to heighten their weekly experience, will also be given a copy of that week’s Clinton County News to use for the activities each week and to take home during the 10 week duration of the program.

Clinton County News Editor Al Gibson met this week with a group of teachers from Albany Elementary School to discuss the new literacy project. (Photo by Tim Armstrong)