Elementary paraeducator Nicole Day and principal Brian Sammons brainstormed the project as part of Day’s grant application to the R.J. McElroy Trust based out of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area.

Storywalks have already been a popular family-friendly idea in similarly-sized towns, and have been used in downtown events in Grundy Center or even in the halls of the school for the sake of the students.

“We always thought someday that it would be awesome to have it outside where the community could access it,” Sammons said.

“It gives families the opportunities to read together in an accessible format, and be outside, (and) enjoy the fresh air,” Day said. “Not just a book but an opportunity for outdoor enjoyment.”

Students at Grundy Center Elementary have taken an interest in the new storywalk, which, in addition to telling a story at each of its 24 panels, offers activities or prompts to help the children engage with the story.

The grant was approved and the City of Grundy Center provided assistance in installing the project. Activities, questions or prompts on the book pages help families interact and engage with the material.

“That also helps to guide parents if they think, ‘What kinds of questions might I ask when I’m reading this book?'” Sammons said. “Which is something I think we take for granted when we’re so focused on literacy.”

The first book displayed over the summer was “Tuesday Takes Me There: The Healing Journey of a Veteran and his Service Dog” by Luis Carlos Montalvan.

With the start of the school year, a new book is on display, “Maurice” by Jessixa Bagley. The book is displayed with help from the town’s Kling Memorial Library, as part of a joint “One Community, One Book” initiative between the school and library.

In recent years, art teachers at the school have painted related murals along the main staircase in the school for each book featured in these initiatives. As the year goes on, students who finish the book will be able to write their name on a poster in the school to provide a sense of completion as a school.

“This brings everybody together, whether in the school, families, the community,” Sammons said. “To get everybody, literally, on the same page.”

The panels are all-weather and will be updated again as the year goes on.

Down the road, the school hopes to include a handicap-accessible walking path with various botanical features to beautify the space.

“We have seen the kids walking around looking at the different pages during recess,” Day said. “Even in the lower grades, to have the kids looking at it, even if they don’t know how to read it, it just introduces them to reading in that way.”