Rutgers Student-Athletes Participate in Read Across America Initiative
Mar 07 | Field Hockey, General, Scarlet Knights for Life™
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – As the calendar turns to March, elementary schools are celebrating National Reading Month, with ongoing campaigns for encourage a love of readers for young learners. In partnership with the celebration of Dr. Suess' birthday on March 2, the Read Across America program takes place to encourage reading.
Starting February 28 and continuing until March 18, student-athletes from Rutgers Athletics are giving back to the local community by participating in the program. Organized by Scarlet Knights For Life, over the past month, 204 student-athletes from 16 teams gave back 404 hours to 19 schools in 5 communities by participating in the national celebration of Read Across America.attending different schools in the New Brunswick, Piscataway, East Brunswick, and Edison areas. The student-athletes read to the children, engaging them in conversation, while also encouraging them to participate in sports and spend time playing outdoors.
The program partners with the Big Ten's "Big Impact Reading Week" initiative. This initiative is dedicated to empowering student-athletes by encouraging them to make a positive impact through reading books to youth. Through Big Impact Reading Week, the Big Ten continues to champion the importance of education, empathy, and inclusivity, creating a sense of community beyond the playing field.
"Each year, the student athletes share their journey of dedication and commitment to their goals to help them be where they are today. We hope that this mindset transfers into not only learning goals for our students, but personal goals as well," explained Kathryn Lehocky, a reading specialist at Memorial Elementary. "We hope that our students first and foremost can learn that hard work and perseverance can help them achieve any goal. All of the staff at Memorial unanimously agreed that the student athletes were true role models for our students, as they demonstrated many admirable traits that we strive to teach our students each day."
One of the core tenants of the Scarlet Knights For Life program is community engagement. The program focuses on ongoing service initiatives and facilitates ways for student-athletes to interact and build relationships with the local community. Read Across America is one of a multitude of annual programs, also including participating in initiatives such as Saturdays in Motion, Elijah's Promise, Soles4Souls, and other campus programs and traditions.
"The Men's Soccer team was very professional, genuine, and patient as they spoke to all of our students," Lehocky said. "As students were entering the school and walking by the main office, many of them noticed all of the soccer players inside. Some of them poked their heads into the office to get a sneak peek, while others came in and started speaking to the student athletes right away. Regardless of the age or conversation, all of the student athletes enthusiastically interacted with our students, bringing the brightest smile on all of their faces! Later on that morning when the student athletes saw those students again, they said hello to these students by name. The excitement on our students' faces was priceless, and you could just tell how much that meant to them and made their day! We cannot thank the Men's Soccer Team enough for sharing their time with us and we are looking forward to welcoming them back to Memorial Elementary School very soon!"
Gallery: (3-6-2025) Read Across America 2025
Starting February 28 and continuing until March 18, student-athletes from Rutgers Athletics are giving back to the local community by participating in the program. Organized by Scarlet Knights For Life, over the past month, 204 student-athletes from 16 teams gave back 404 hours to 19 schools in 5 communities by participating in the national celebration of Read Across America.attending different schools in the New Brunswick, Piscataway, East Brunswick, and Edison areas. The student-athletes read to the children, engaging them in conversation, while also encouraging them to participate in sports and spend time playing outdoors.
The program partners with the Big Ten's "Big Impact Reading Week" initiative. This initiative is dedicated to empowering student-athletes by encouraging them to make a positive impact through reading books to youth. Through Big Impact Reading Week, the Big Ten continues to champion the importance of education, empathy, and inclusivity, creating a sense of community beyond the playing field.
"Each year, the student athletes share their journey of dedication and commitment to their goals to help them be where they are today. We hope that this mindset transfers into not only learning goals for our students, but personal goals as well," explained Kathryn Lehocky, a reading specialist at Memorial Elementary. "We hope that our students first and foremost can learn that hard work and perseverance can help them achieve any goal. All of the staff at Memorial unanimously agreed that the student athletes were true role models for our students, as they demonstrated many admirable traits that we strive to teach our students each day."
One of the core tenants of the Scarlet Knights For Life program is community engagement. The program focuses on ongoing service initiatives and facilitates ways for student-athletes to interact and build relationships with the local community. Read Across America is one of a multitude of annual programs, also including participating in initiatives such as Saturdays in Motion, Elijah's Promise, Soles4Souls, and other campus programs and traditions.
"The Men's Soccer team was very professional, genuine, and patient as they spoke to all of our students," Lehocky said. "As students were entering the school and walking by the main office, many of them noticed all of the soccer players inside. Some of them poked their heads into the office to get a sneak peek, while others came in and started speaking to the student athletes right away. Regardless of the age or conversation, all of the student athletes enthusiastically interacted with our students, bringing the brightest smile on all of their faces! Later on that morning when the student athletes saw those students again, they said hello to these students by name. The excitement on our students' faces was priceless, and you could just tell how much that meant to them and made their day! We cannot thank the Men's Soccer Team enough for sharing their time with us and we are looking forward to welcoming them back to Memorial Elementary School very soon!"
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