Give Big,
Expect Little.

Our motto, “Build Strong. Stand Strong,” goes deeper than the structures we develop. It starts in our community, and with the youngest of those, where we believe it’s critical to instill the importance of commitment to personal growth, responsibility, and lifelong learning. 

Data shows only 40% of third grade students read on grade level in Tennessee in 2023, and those who cannot read on grade level by third grade struggle to succeed later in their education—including graduating from high school, completing higher education, and becoming employed later in life. 

That’s why we established the Cooper Steel Reading Program in 2023, first at East Side Elementary School, and now expanded to all elementary schools in Bedford County, promoting literacy for young minds.

The reading program sets goals for students to read throughout the school year on a minute-read basis rather than the number of total books read, with the goal to encourage students to read more, keep improving, and reach their goals during the school year. 

There are four total prizes ranging from a new book, pair of shoes, and mystery events, that can be awarded to students throughout the school year, set at benchmarks of 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 minutes read. 

To date, the program has supported more than 1.5 million minutes read by students across the five Bedford County elementary schools, with 1,541 pairs of shoes being awarded. Now, the program has expanded to Cooper Steel South, where the local team is supporting a local school and giving students who meet their goals new books. 

We are proud to continue to support students’ growth and are grateful for their hard work and commitment to growth each year, which helps to build our community for a stronger tomorrow!

At Cooper Steel, we believe that showing up everyday matters, especially for our students who are building a foundation for lifelong learning, responsibility, and resilience. 

Data shows Tennessee students who are chronically absent in kindergarten (missing 10 percent or more of enrolled school days for any reason, including excused absences and out-of-school suspensions) are 15 percent less likely to reach proficiency in third grade math or language arts. Further, chronically absent Tennessee ninth graders are 30 percent less likely to earn an on-time diploma, reflecting the criticality of developing healthy attendance habits early. 

With this in mind, we developed the Cooper Steel Attendance Program to celebrate families who are making attendance a priority for our students, and as a result, making our community stronger.

The program is open to Bedford County elementary schools and rewards students on a nine-week basis. All students with perfect attendance in the first nine weeks of the school year will be entered into a drawing for a gift card for a local business or restaurant, and one student from every grade will be selected. The same drawing will be conducted for the second, third, and fourth nine weeks. We also want to highlight and encourage attendance improvement, and students who show a positive increase in their attendance during these three quarters will be entered in a drawing to win a gift card. 

Any student who has perfect attendance for the entire school year will be entered into a special drawing for a larger gift card and a family experience prize to celebrate their achievements with those that helped them succeed. 

We’re proud to partner with Bedford County schools and families on this initiative, and look forward to working together to make every day count!