The Connecticut Education Foundation, CEA’s charitable arm, and the Bloomfield Education Association are tackling reading with a weeklong celebration of literacy featuring football stars and fun activities to encourage hundreds of middle school students at Carmen Arace School in Bloomfield to pick up a book and read.
The weeklong Read Across Connecticut literacy event kicked off today with a fun, interactive football clinic run by former NFL player and Bloomfield native Matt Lawrence, who played for the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, and Seattle Seahawks. Lawrence was joined by Canadian Football League player Dex Lawson and college football player Andrae Smith, also Bloomfield natives, taking students through fun sports and academic activities, including relay races, obstacle courses, spelling bees, word jumbles, and more.
“The goal of Read Across Connecticut is to encourage and motivate children to pick up a book and read, developing habits that will lead to becoming lifelong readers,” said CEF President Joslyn DeLancey. “Using real-life sports celebrities who grew up in Connecticut and whom the students can relate to helps them understand the important role reading plays in the lives of all students, including student athletes.”
Today kicked off with an event for seventh and eighth graders, followed by fifth and sixth graders, who were able to take part in a variety of fun games and drills. All together, more than 600 students in grades five through eight will participate this week and will receive a free book of their choice to take home, bookbags filled with fun items and school supplies, and a flyer for parents with tips on engaging children in reading at home.
“Reading plays an integral role in shaping us into who we are,” said fifth-grade teacher and Bloomfield Education Association President Gail Jorden. “Our younger students really get into reading still, but by fifth and sixth grade, because they have their phones and technology, they tend to read fewer texts, so this week we’re trying to tap into their love of reading through their love of sports.”
“We know that reading for fun is now at an all-time low compared to the last 40 years,” said DeLancey. “Students are not picking up books and just reading for fun, so we really want to make sure that students understand that reading can be fun, there’s joy in books, and that when you read it increases your access to many different opportunities.”
Throughout the week, local high school football players from Bloomfield, East Hartford, Farmington, Manchester, and Windsor as well as football players from Central Connecticut State University will be huddling together for the reading blitz, sharing the impact reading has had on their careers as athletes and emphasizing the importance of the student in student athletes.
Lawrence, who helped coordinate the participation of the high school student athletes, played college football at UConn and UMass and is the founder of 32 Sports, a nonprofit youth sports organization connecting pro athletes to children through sports. He is also a mental health and community advocate and recently returned from Switzerland, where he spoke at the World Economic Forum.
“Participating in the Read Across Connecticut program in Bloomfield is a privilege,” said Lawrence. “Reading from a young age fueled my NFL aspirations and achievements, and I want to share the message with children that reading shapes success.”
