Jan. 8, 2010

Photo Gallery: UMass Lowell visits the Lincoln School for Read 2010 Day

Reading can be fun, educational, informative or important. From schoolwork to magazines, fictional books and road signs, reading is a part of our everyday lives. That is the message that eleven UMass Lowell basketball players brought with them to the Lincoln School in Lowell on Friday morning.

Members of the men's and women's squads took a trip to the local elementary school to share their experiences with reading to the students as part of Read for 2010/Community Reader Day. They visited classrooms of students from kindergarten through fourth grade to discuss their favorite books, how reading helped them get into college and why being a good reader helps in many aspects of life.

"Anything our student-athletes can do to help encourage these younger kids to get involved in reading and practicing those skills like ours practice basketball is great," said senior associate athletic director Joan Lehoullier.

Despite the age difference between the student-athletes and those they were visiting, their message bridged the gap and gave Lincoln children tangible goals to strive towards and a worthy set of role models.

"It is really nice to be involved in our local community," said senior co-captain Jen Valente. "To help out at the Lincoln School today wasn't just a great experience for the kids, but for us too."

As part of the Read for 2010 Day, the student participated in reading and writing activities all day and finished the afternoon with 2010 seconds of reading. The special day is an annual celebration for the school, which strives to focus on the importance of reading, writing and literacy to kick off each new year. At the end of the celebration, students receive pencils, bookmarks and other items to promote literacy.

"It was great to be a part of Read 2010 Day and we had a great time visiting all the classrooms and talking with the students this morning," sophomore forward John Corbacio said.

After participating in Read 2010 Day and promising to keep up their good reading habits, the students of the Lincoln School were given vouchers to tomorrow's basketball double-header to cheer on their new friends. The River Hawks take the court at Costello Gymnasium at 2:00 (women) and 4:00 (men) on Saturday, hosting the Chargers of the University of New Haven.