Heroes come in all forms.

Some Gilmour Elementary students recently got to interact with local heroes that just happen to drive cool trucks and fight fires… all while promoting literacy.

The first Summer Lantern event of 2021 was held June 8 at the school.

About 25 students and their families took part as members of Kingfisher Fire Department read books to the students before giving them tours of their fire equipment.

It was part of a handful of planned events this summer through the program, financed by a grant through the 2021 Oklahoma Initiative Fund through the Oklahoma Communities Foundation.

“The goal of this program is to improve students’ reading skills through a continuous flow of instruction from regular school to summer school back to regular school in the fall by keeping Gilmour’s lights on all summer,” said Lesley Redwine, Gilmour’s library media specialist.

The theme this summer is “Every One is the Hero of Their Own Story.”

“We are wanting to highlight our local hometown heroes,” Redwine said.

The firemen all brought books of their own and students split up into groups, which rotated to different firemen so they could hear all the stories and visit with them.

After reading, students were able visit each fire vehicle to explore and ask questions, Redwine said.

The students were also allowed to check out books, which were purchased through the Summer Lantern program.

They’ll return the books at the next event and will be available for use in the Gilmour library next school year, Redwine said.

Other events planned this year include:

• June 22 featuring local game wardens;

• July 6 featuring local police officers;

• July 27 (guests to be determined).

Events are from 7 to 8 p.m. and families are invited to join the students.

“Families are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets and listen to local heroes read some of their favorite books,” Redwine said.

It’s all in an effort to not only create a positive experience through an extension of summer school and the regular school year, but also at home.

“Our ultimate goal with these family nights is to create a positive reading experience for our students and also highlight our hometown heroes all while building a community effort - parents, teachers, community members coming together to promote literacy,” Redwine said.

“We want to create a literacy rich learning environment at Gilmour and we hope providing opportunities this summer and during the school year will help us achieve that goal.”