Touchdown!: West Springfield Football, Cheer Teams Read to Cardinal Forest First-Graders to Tackle Literacy
At West Springfield High School last week, Friday Night Lights took a backseat to morning sunshine and books on the 50-yard line.
For the first time, Cardinal Forest Elementary School first-graders took a class field trip to their future high school’s football field. The first graders met up with West Springfield’s varsity football players and cheerleaders, ran a high-five gauntlet, picked out books of their choice, and then approached the much bigger student athletes to choose one to sit down next to them to read.
“It was cool to see that the kids look up to you. After picking out a book, you see the smiles on their faces, they’re joking and laughing and running around. It is so cool to see that you can inspire somebody even if you didn’t know them personally beforehand,” said Marcos Jimenez, a West Springfield senior and defensive tackle on the football team. Jimenez read “Trick or Treat” and “Roller Roller Roller Coaster” to the students who chose him as their reader.
“It was the funnest time ever,” said Cardinal Forest first grader Melody Wryter, whose favorite story of the day was “Creepy Crayon.”
Cardinal Forest first grade Teacher Jennifer Walrath, the mother of West Springfield junior and quarterback Brian Walrath, came up with the idea for the event, hoping to build community and drive home a love of reading in the younger students.
“Oftentimes high-schoolers get a bad rap, I wanted to find the good,” Walrath said. “I knew from talking about my son in the classroom, that the first graders idolized the football players and cheerleaders. I have a passion for teaching reading and thought why not ask the players and cheerleaders to read to the kids?”
Felicia Drake, the principal of Cardinal Forest Elementary, and Assistant Principal Cindy Agner loved the idea. They set about putting the logistics in place – booking a school bus, lining up school mascots to attend, and working with West Springfield High Principal Mike Mukai to see if the athletes could miss a few minutes of class. Mukai happily agreed.
“A lot of times when you think about football players and cheerleaders on a Friday night on the football field, they’re focused on winning games and championships,” Mukai told WTOP Radio, which covered the event. “But really, I think the more important thing is that the kids inspire.”
The experience exemplifies FCPS Strategic Plan Goal #2: Safe, Supported, Included, and Empowered students by contributing to a positive school climate and a sense of belonging among students of all ages.
Agner said the event went so well, they’re looking for ways to expand the partnership.
“It was amazing to see how much everyone loved the event! The kids were all super excited, from the little first graders to the big high schoolers,” Agner said. “This was such a hit that we're already thinking of other ways to connect the students between the schools.”
Drake agreed.
“Our students are in awe of the West Springfield students and look at them as heroes,” she said. “Seeing the joy on the faces of our previous Mighty Red Birds reading to future Spartans is something I will never forget.”
Watch NBC4’s coverage of the experience.
