Luther Vaughan Elementary students held a parade Thursday afternoon to kick off a year-long school theme focused on elections and reading books. The event highlighted the first day of class for the year-round school. After 90,000 votes were cast by children nationally, Luther Vaughan Elementary students will get their chance to support a favorite book in a new reading initiative this fall.

Luther Vaughn finished its first day of school with a kickoff event for "Vote for Books," one of several reading initiatives planned for the school year. Students will spend the next couple of months reading classic children's stories like "Horton Hears a Who" by Dr. Seuss and "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein.

They are among eight books that schools nationally selected for a book project run through the Web site, Vote for Books. Mirroring the upcoming presidential elections, students in schools nationwide are asked to read each book and then vote on their favorite books.

The reading initiative is one way Luther Vaughan Elementary will introduce their students to the election process, principal Dr. Ron Cope said. Students will be involved in a yearlong "Election" theme focused on the election process and what it means to become a good citizen. Students will learn the results of the book voting on the Vote for Books Web site on Nov. 6 shortly after their parents help elect a new president.

"This is the most important election in our nation's history. In many cases, this will be the only presidential election our students will see while they are in elementary school," Cope said. "Our school theme this year will revolve around the voting process and what it means to be a good citizen."

Luther Vaughan Elementary students and teachers kicked off the Vote for Books reading initiative Thursday afternoon by gathering around the flag pole.

Donning their Uncle Sam hats, Cope joined Gaffney Mayor Henry Jolly in leading a parade of students into the gymnasium for an assembly.

Jolly spoke with the students about the importance of being good citizens and becoming active voters when they become adults. The mayor urged the students to obey the golden rule by being nice to their classmates and listening to their teachers.

"It is wonderful to live in a country where you have the right to go to school and be what you want to be," Jolly told the students. "In some countries, parents tell their children what to do and what they are going to do when they grow up. We are very fortunate to live in a great country where we have the freedom to make our own choices."