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ST. GEORGE -- Signs of growth and development are all around St. George, including at one of the city's oldest institutions. Dixie State College turns 100 this year.
We took Chopper 5 on a KSL Road Trip to St. George to show the college's impact and another school success.
Many things have changed for Dixie State over the years, including an increase in the number of students and a greater number of four-year degrees.
College leaders believe that progress will allow more young people to graduate and stay in St. George to find a job rather than leaving for work.
Amid all the change, leaders also credit their success to part of southern Utah heritage.
"There is one constant thing that's gone the space of these 100 years, and that's the Dixie spirit: volunteer, work hard, come together. You can't beat that," said George Whitehead, Dixie State associate vice president of advancement and cultural arts.
That Dixie spirit came into play at another school: Coral Cliffs Elementary School. Students there won our reading incentive challenge, so we surprised them with a Chopper 5 party.
For registering kids in our Read Today program and logging their reading minutes, Dixie State athletes passed out prizes.
Kids came running when they learned local grocer Lin's Market provided Read Today cookies.
The mayor congratulated kids, and teachers say it sent a strong message.
"They were so excited," said Principal Amy Wilcox. "You saw when they came, they were jumping and screaming. They were so excited, and we just keep saying, ‘This is because of all the reading you're doing!'"
We have been impressed that many St. George schools are putting an emphasis on reading. We hope our Read Today program will get families in southern Utah reading together at home.
E-mail: dwimmer@ksl.com
