TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) - Students from a school in Tennessee have donated more than 1,000 books to elementary schools within the Cherokee Nation after learning about the tribe's history and removal on the Trail of Tears.
The Cherokee Nation says fourth graders at East Brainerd Intermediate School in Chattanooga, Tenn., formed a school-wide book drive after learning about the 16,000 Cherokees who made the 1,000-mile journey from their homelands to Oklahoma.
A private shipping company in Chattanooga volunteered to deliver the books to Belfonte School in Sequoyah County, Bell School in Adair County, and Kenwood and Oaks Mission schools in Delaware County. The four schools have a high percentage of Native American students.
The schools are sorting the books and then they will be used for classroom reading.