The first week of March is usually a hectic time for our student-athletes, with Sectionals for winter sports underway and spring sports beginning soon. Even so, their busy schedules don’t stop them from following a district tradition to return to their old stomping grounds at LaFayette Intermediate School on Read Across America Day.

“[Read Across America Day] offers a great opportunity for our students to meet middle/high school role models highlighting something as important as reading,” said Molly Lahr, principal of LaFayette Intermediate School. “We know that students who read for a minimum of 15 minutes a day are far more likely to see success as they get older.”

This year, over 30 student-athletes traveled to Lafayette on March 3 to read the book “The Wonder You See” by Joanna Gaines to 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th graders, encouraging their younger schoolmates to think about the wonders they want to see.

“The reading teachers at LaFayette chose for students to read ‘The Wonder You See’ because it highlights all the wonder in the world,” Lahr said. “Students were able to write and draw about a place they would most like to visit or travel to, opening a world of possibilities for them that reading is supposed to do for us.”

The student-athletes also shared personal experiences and lessons about what it takes to be champions in the classroom and on the field of play. Others were able to reunite with some of their favorite childhood teachers.

“When the athletes come back and read to the younger students, they provide an example for them to look up to,” said Kaitlin O’Hara, a reading teacher in the district. “It’s an opportunity to have conversations about what middle school and high school are like both on the field and in the classroom. Many of our student-athletes sat in those same chairs years ago.”

This community service event was first organized 21 years ago by Christal Kent, athletic director and a former reading teacher.

“Our coaches and Varsity Club student-athletes all value the importance of community service and giving back to our younger students,” said Kent. “We want our student-athletes to be positive role models and giving back through Read Across America is a great opportunity!”

The first year, she brought student-athletes on her varsity softball team to read to a few classrooms. Participation continued to grow as other coaches and teachers got involved. This year, 18 classrooms received student-athletes representing nearly all of Waterloo’s varsity sports teams.

Read Across America Day kicked off a week of reading-themed challenges at Waterloo Central School District, with a goal of increasing reading time even more for students across the district.