MC's Athletes for Academic Excellence

            Kids often dream about meeting all-star athletes and on Friday, October 5, students at Prosperity-Rikard Elementary got their chance when members of the Mid-Carolina High School varsity football team came to read to their classes.

            The goal of Athletes for Academic Excellence, a collaborative effort among teachers and administrators at Prosperity-Rikard, Pomaria-Garmony, Little Mountain and Mid-Carolina, is to shed a positive light on reading and literacy.  The group also hopes the athletes will be role models for the younger students.

            “We wanted to connect Mid-Carolina’s young people with the kids at our feeder schools so that they could be big brothers and sisters for the younger kids and show them that reading can be fun,” said Louie Alexander, Mid-Carolina’s athletic director.

            Coach Alexander worked along with Carson Ware, Sherry Swindler, Kim Mack and Betsy Hentz to get the program going and hopes to eventually have all of Mid-Carolina’s athletes involved with all three area elementary schools.

            For the football players who read to fourth and fifth graders at Prosperity-Rikard on Friday, it was a memorable experience.

            “It was a great experience and something I would definitely do again,” said senior Daniel Boland.  “The kids really got into my book and had lots of questions.  Some even asked for my autograph.”

            Senior Jacob Boland agreed, adding, “I was glad that I could do something to give back to my community.”