Polk County Middle School (PCMS) students Sarah Woods, Zane Johnson, Harrison Sloan and Annie Eargle work together to read “Home of the Brave,” a novel about a young boy who emigrated from Africa to the United States. Using grant funds from the Polk County Community Foundation, Miss Paterson’s language arts classes and Mrs. Gilbert’s social studies classes at PCMS were able to work on a collaborative unit about Africa. Mrs. Gilbert used a grant to purchase a class set of “Home of the Brave.” This novel tied in with Miss Patterson’s grant purchase of “14 Cows for America.” The students came together in social studies to make connections between the two books and about life in Africa, compared to life in America. (photo submitted by Stephanie Gilbert)