Bucknell University Athletics
BAC Partners with Kelly Elementary to Honor Black History Month
3/17/2021 10:46:00 AM | Student-Athlete Enrichment
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Last month, the newly created Bison Athletes of Color group partnered with Kelly Elementary School for the Bison Athletics Virtual Reading initiative. Bucknell student-athletes were able to engage with the students and read books focused on Black History Month. Over the last two weeks in February, 32 reading sessions were scheduled, and athletes from across several different varsity sports participated. Members of BAC, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and the overall student-athlete body all came together to make this initiative a success.
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Reading sessions were scheduled for the Kelly Elementary kindergarten through third grade classrooms, as well as the e-school programs, so every student had an opportunity to hear from and engage with a Bucknell student-athlete via Zoom. The athletes were able to read from books provided by the Kelly Elementary library, so students were then able to check out the books themselves after hearing them read and explore them on their own. The books highlighted people of color and historic events. Some of the titles included "Ruby Bridges Goes to School," "Hidden Figures - The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race," "It's Okay To Be Different," and many more.Â
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Women's lacrosse senior Kali Peeples, a BAC executive board member and the SAAC vice president, said, "As a newly formed group, BAC was extremely excited to host our first ever Black History Month reading initiative, which gave student-athletes the opportunity to not only interact with the surrounding Lewisburg community but also teach young children about Black history and the importance of diversity. Speaking from my own personal experience, I had a wonderful time reading to the students I was paired with. They were very engaged and had tons of questions afterwards which made for a very fun and interactive experience. I, along with other BAC members, are extremely proud with what our student-athlete body accomplished while reading this initiative and hope to continue it for many years to come."
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Three student-athletes – senior J.J. Alicea from men's lacrosse, junior Vittoria Sottani from volleyball and first-year Cristina Canales from women's golf -- were able to provide readings for the ESL classrooms by reading and conversing with the students in both English and Spanish. The teacher, Raelene Kiepke, shared how special it was for the students to be able to see and hear from the Bucknell student-athletes (albeit virtually) during this abnormal school year.Â
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Kelly Elementary principal Chris Ruth said, "Developing a lifelong love of reading is at the heart of any elementary school literacy program, and having guest readers to share their excitement about a story builds confidence in our students. When the pandemic hit, we were unsure if we would be able to host guest readers this year. Bucknell reached out with this wonderful opportunity and we jumped at the chance to have our young students interact with the college students. Our kids were so excited to have guest readers and our teachers felt like we had some more partners in our efforts to build a love of reading. We can't thank our Bucknell student-athletes enough for their time and energy. Henry Adams said, 'A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops,' and I hope the Bucknell students continue in their efforts to volunteer with young children throughout their lives."Â
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Reading sessions were scheduled for the Kelly Elementary kindergarten through third grade classrooms, as well as the e-school programs, so every student had an opportunity to hear from and engage with a Bucknell student-athlete via Zoom. The athletes were able to read from books provided by the Kelly Elementary library, so students were then able to check out the books themselves after hearing them read and explore them on their own. The books highlighted people of color and historic events. Some of the titles included "Ruby Bridges Goes to School," "Hidden Figures - The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race," "It's Okay To Be Different," and many more.Â
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Women's lacrosse senior Kali Peeples, a BAC executive board member and the SAAC vice president, said, "As a newly formed group, BAC was extremely excited to host our first ever Black History Month reading initiative, which gave student-athletes the opportunity to not only interact with the surrounding Lewisburg community but also teach young children about Black history and the importance of diversity. Speaking from my own personal experience, I had a wonderful time reading to the students I was paired with. They were very engaged and had tons of questions afterwards which made for a very fun and interactive experience. I, along with other BAC members, are extremely proud with what our student-athlete body accomplished while reading this initiative and hope to continue it for many years to come."Â
Three student-athletes – senior J.J. Alicea from men's lacrosse, junior Vittoria Sottani from volleyball and first-year Cristina Canales from women's golf -- were able to provide readings for the ESL classrooms by reading and conversing with the students in both English and Spanish. The teacher, Raelene Kiepke, shared how special it was for the students to be able to see and hear from the Bucknell student-athletes (albeit virtually) during this abnormal school year.Â
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Kelly Elementary principal Chris Ruth said, "Developing a lifelong love of reading is at the heart of any elementary school literacy program, and having guest readers to share their excitement about a story builds confidence in our students. When the pandemic hit, we were unsure if we would be able to host guest readers this year. Bucknell reached out with this wonderful opportunity and we jumped at the chance to have our young students interact with the college students. Our kids were so excited to have guest readers and our teachers felt like we had some more partners in our efforts to build a love of reading. We can't thank our Bucknell student-athletes enough for their time and energy. Henry Adams said, 'A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops,' and I hope the Bucknell students continue in their efforts to volunteer with young children throughout their lives."Â
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