University of North Carolina Athletics
Jeremiah Clarke (left) and Tolson Jeffrey, both members of the football team, kicked off Wednesday morning by reading at Rashkis Elementary.
GoHeels Exclusive: Reading Day Impacts Both College And Elementary Students
October 12, 2018 | Featured Writers, Student-Athlete Development, Carolina Outreach
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Jeremiah Clarke, a redshirt senior defensive tackle on the North Carolina football team, regularly draws the attention of everyone when he enters a room.
But perhaps he's never heard as many remarks about his size as he did Wednesday, when he walked into Evie O'Dor's fifth-grade classroom at Rashkis Elementary School.
"'Oh, my goodness," Clarke recalled some of the children saying. "He's big!'"
Elementary school visits aren't uncommon for Clarke. His mother, Tiffany Lee-Clarke, is a third-grade teacher at Matthew Maury Elementary School in Alexandria, Va., and he's gone to other elementary schools in his hometown. But Wednesday, he joined fellow UNC student-athletes in giving back to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community.
As part of Carolina Athletics "Read Like a Champion" Day, held in partnership with Duke Energy, UNC student-athletes read to a total of 41 classrooms at 11 local elementary schools on Wednesday. Sixty-five student-athletes from 20 different teams participated in the initiative. Overall, they read to more than 900 children.
UNC student-athletes read at schools throughout the year. Wednesday's event, though, was the largest and most widespread effort ever concentrated on a single day.
"I think it's big for them to hang out with a football player, somebody who they kind of look up to or even just athletes they admire in general," said Clarke of the children he interacted with. "And to be able to show them some positivity, show them some love and go hang out with them, it's a big thing for them."
The day kicked off at 8 a.m., with Duke Energy representatives joining volleyball players Raleigh Clark, Kendra Koetter and Madison Laufenberg at Ephesus Elementary School. About four miles away, Kristin Hall (track and field), Katlin Sherman (track and field) and Jocelyn Jones (women's basketball) read at Northside Elementary School.
The last group ultimately finished reading at about 2:30 p.m., just before the dismissal bell.
Each group read different books. Among the student-athletes who visited Glenwood Elementary School, senior women's soccer player Julia Ashley read "Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton" to Linda Keller's fifth-grade class.
The book detailed the life of Horton, a Chatham County slave who taught himself how to read. He went on to compose poems for UNC students and to become the first African-American in the South to publish a book. UNC's Horton Residence Hall is named after him.
Keller said the local connections with the text interested her students. They were also reeled in by Ashley and later the tandem of Ashley Hoffman (field hockey) and Kasey Parker (women's soccer).
"It kind of just made reading more enjoyable knowing that people still read outside of the elementary school area …" Keller said. "They were completely zoned in on the book, and it was hard to break away that concentration, which was awesome to see."
After reading, the student-athletes typically answered any questions about themselves before signing a "Read Like a Champion" poster for each child and leaving a selection of Scholastic books for the classroom. Duke Energy donated the books and posters.
"Early childhood literacy is fundamental to students' success from the ballfield to the board room," said Indira Everett, district manager for Duke Energy. "By partnering with UNC and engaging student-athletes, we get kids excited about reading by sharing our favorite stories and personal experiences. The young readers love hearing about why reading matters directly from UNC's sports stars."
During Ashley's Q&A session, she was asked about the number of varsity sports that UNC offers, what sport she'd play if she didn't play soccer and what she enjoys most about college. But most questions revolved around academics.
"One kid was already thinking about what it takes to get into college," Ashley said. "I was just trying to balance telling him it's everything. You just have to be very well-rounded with SAT scores, all the testing, grades and extracurriculars."
Later, as Ashley signed posters, one boy, a part of the school's Mandarin dual language, gave her an origami piece.
"This is just awesome," said Ashley, holding the creation. "I smiled when he gave this to me; it was really nice."
Ashley said she probably hadn't been in an elementary school since eighth grade. But even a frequent elementary-school visitor such as Clarke still found fulfillment in spending time with the children on Wednesday.
"I definitely think I put a smile on their faces this morning," Clarke said. "And it put a smile on mine before I went to class."
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Jeremiah Clarke, a redshirt senior defensive tackle on the North Carolina football team, regularly draws the attention of everyone when he enters a room.
But perhaps he's never heard as many remarks about his size as he did Wednesday, when he walked into Evie O'Dor's fifth-grade classroom at Rashkis Elementary School.
"'Oh, my goodness," Clarke recalled some of the children saying. "He's big!'"
Elementary school visits aren't uncommon for Clarke. His mother, Tiffany Lee-Clarke, is a third-grade teacher at Matthew Maury Elementary School in Alexandria, Va., and he's gone to other elementary schools in his hometown. But Wednesday, he joined fellow UNC student-athletes in giving back to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community.
As part of Carolina Athletics "Read Like a Champion" Day, held in partnership with Duke Energy, UNC student-athletes read to a total of 41 classrooms at 11 local elementary schools on Wednesday. Sixty-five student-athletes from 20 different teams participated in the initiative. Overall, they read to more than 900 children.
UNC student-athletes read at schools throughout the year. Wednesday's event, though, was the largest and most widespread effort ever concentrated on a single day.
"I think it's big for them to hang out with a football player, somebody who they kind of look up to or even just athletes they admire in general," said Clarke of the children he interacted with. "And to be able to show them some positivity, show them some love and go hang out with them, it's a big thing for them."
The day kicked off at 8 a.m., with Duke Energy representatives joining volleyball players Raleigh Clark, Kendra Koetter and Madison Laufenberg at Ephesus Elementary School. About four miles away, Kristin Hall (track and field), Katlin Sherman (track and field) and Jocelyn Jones (women's basketball) read at Northside Elementary School.
The last group ultimately finished reading at about 2:30 p.m., just before the dismissal bell.
Each group read different books. Among the student-athletes who visited Glenwood Elementary School, senior women's soccer player Julia Ashley read "Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton" to Linda Keller's fifth-grade class.
The book detailed the life of Horton, a Chatham County slave who taught himself how to read. He went on to compose poems for UNC students and to become the first African-American in the South to publish a book. UNC's Horton Residence Hall is named after him.
Keller said the local connections with the text interested her students. They were also reeled in by Ashley and later the tandem of Ashley Hoffman (field hockey) and Kasey Parker (women's soccer).
"It kind of just made reading more enjoyable knowing that people still read outside of the elementary school area …" Keller said. "They were completely zoned in on the book, and it was hard to break away that concentration, which was awesome to see."
After reading, the student-athletes typically answered any questions about themselves before signing a "Read Like a Champion" poster for each child and leaving a selection of Scholastic books for the classroom. Duke Energy donated the books and posters.
"Early childhood literacy is fundamental to students' success from the ballfield to the board room," said Indira Everett, district manager for Duke Energy. "By partnering with UNC and engaging student-athletes, we get kids excited about reading by sharing our favorite stories and personal experiences. The young readers love hearing about why reading matters directly from UNC's sports stars."
During Ashley's Q&A session, she was asked about the number of varsity sports that UNC offers, what sport she'd play if she didn't play soccer and what she enjoys most about college. But most questions revolved around academics.
"One kid was already thinking about what it takes to get into college," Ashley said. "I was just trying to balance telling him it's everything. You just have to be very well-rounded with SAT scores, all the testing, grades and extracurriculars."
Later, as Ashley signed posters, one boy, a part of the school's Mandarin dual language, gave her an origami piece.
"This is just awesome," said Ashley, holding the creation. "I smiled when he gave this to me; it was really nice."
Ashley said she probably hadn't been in an elementary school since eighth grade. But even a frequent elementary-school visitor such as Clarke still found fulfillment in spending time with the children on Wednesday.
"I definitely think I put a smile on their faces this morning," Clarke said. "And it put a smile on mine before I went to class."
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