Bucknell athletes read to students for Black History Month
Feb. 23—LEWISBURG — Bucknell University student-athletes are celebrating Black History Month by reading to students at Lewisburg Area School District.
The two-week-long reading project, organized by the Bison Athletes of Color (BAC), kicked off this week and will continue next week at Kelly Elementary School, 325 Hospital Drive, Lewisburg.
"It's such an important thing to do with the community and your teammates," said freshman Rourke Kennedy, 19, of Pittsburgh, after he read to 13 kindergarten students on Friday. "It's great to connect with the kids and share books with them that they might not otherwise pick up for themselves."
Black History Month is observed in February. The readings were open to all student-athletes at Bucknell.
Kennedy, a wide receiver, is studying finance and pre-med chemistry. This is his first time reading to children at school.
"It was a great experience," he said.
The elementary students asked Kennedy to read "I Promise" by LeBron James and "Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood" by Theresa Howell and Isabel Campoy. Kindergarten teacher Jen Mallett said books were selected for their multicultural and diverse aspects.
"It's great to see how we're all unique," said Mallett. "There are different stories about different cultures. We may all look different but we should all be treated the same with kindness."
Elliott Good, 6, and Maeve Driver, 6, said they enjoyed Kennedy coming to read to them.
"I liked the basketball story," said Elliott. "I like LeBron James."
"I like the story about painting because I like to paint," said Maeve.
Eline Vermeulen, the associate athletic director of student-athlete enrichment at Bucknell University, said nearly 30 Bucknell students will participate in the reading over the two-week period. The grade levels are pre-kindergarten through third grade at Kelly Elementary.
