Inglewood, CA-When it comes to improving literacy, educators look at various ways to gain an edge that will help students care a little bit more about reading and writing. Read Across America Day is one of those avenues that teachers use to incorporate reading and learning throughout the country.
Well, the city of Inglewood and other selected schools received more then their share of help early March when the Los Angeles Rams community team marched through to impress on students the need to read.
“Having the Los Angeles Rams be a partner with our district is simply phenomenal because they’re able to not just do things with the city as part of the stadium, but they’ve been actually in our schools, supporting instruction…really now for over a year, putting in playground equipment and visiting students,” said Dr. Jacqueline Sanderlin, executive director of school and community relations for Inglewood Unified School District. “So, they’re making a footprint in our district with our partnership even greater than we expected.”
The weather may have been wet and dreary the day that Rams staffers hit up two Inglewood schools, but the organization’s presence seem to light up faces at Claude Hudnall Elementary School on March 2. Partnering with FirstBook, the Rams team and cheerleaders delivered and read books to students as part of their Day of Service program.
Students, greeted by Rams cheerleaders, lined up in formation from their respective classrooms to pick up books of their choosing in the school’s auditorium before heading back to class and receiving the gift of having team staffers read to them.
The annual Read Across America Day, highlighted every year in honor of Dr. Seuss, is always a big deal when it comes around. It was a big hit with students at the chosen elementary schools (Claude Hudnall Elementary, Frank D. Parent Elementary).
“What they’re focusing on is literacy,” Sanderlin said. “Our students are excited about it. We have invited outside partners and guests and parents to come read to the schools. Our state administrator, Dr. Thelma Melendez, and our school board, have a big vision to break in the community to help support literacy. So, by doing so, we have been having ongoing meetings since the beginning of school to engage the community, to engage our parents and our partners to start helping in bringing literacy to the forefront.”
Dr. Dawnyell Goolsby, principal at Claude Hudnall Elementary School, was excited her students had the opportunity to interact with members from the Rams organization.
“It’s great,” Dr. Goolsby said. “It’s a great opportunity for our kids. Three times a year, through our fundamental activities, we have to come up with a theme. This year it was perfect because it landed on the Read Across America Day. We were able to invite out the Rams, so they came. This year, we have some of our school service folks that are here, so it’s a great event.”
Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, race, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University. Email Dennis at dfreeman@news4usonline.com
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