Bobcats Open Reading Corner At Walter G. Byers Elementary School

“I am so excited I’m boiling over,” said Walter G. Byers principal Christine Vandiver-Tate as she joined White and Bogans at the entrance of the reading corner for the ceremonial ribbon cutting. “This has been a dream of a long time. I stated my dream to the Bobcats and they made it come true. This exceeds all of my expectations.”

“The kids are also very excited about this,” she added. “We kept it a secret until today.”

Decked out in orange and blue with pictures of Bobcats players adorning the walls, the Reading Corner, appropriately named the Bobcats Book Nook, will be a place where children from all grade levels can come and spend time reading. With shelves full of books and comfortable bean bags situated on the floor, the Book Nook is designed to help the kids discover the joy of reading.

“We plan to use this with several of our reading programs, including our reading buddies and Big Brother Big Sister programs,” she explained. “We will also use it as a special incentive for the kids as well as have specific times scheduled where they can come in and use it. We definitely think it will help the kids increase their reading achievement.”

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, White and Bogans opened the Bobcats Book Nook by hosting a Reading Timeout. Twenty kids sat quietly and listened and the players read “SpongeBob’s Secret Valentine” to them. White and Bogans also had the opportunity to share with the children the importance of obtaining an education.

“I think it’s important for kids to hear about the importance of education from people other than their teachers,” said White. “It’s just a great feeling to be able to come out and give to kids.”

The same sentiments were echoed by Bogans. “I think it’s very important to come out and let the kids interact with us. It definitely goes a long way. If I was a kid in this situation and an NBA player had come to my school, I would have left school that day with a big smile on my face.”

A smile was definitely on the face of fifth-grader Betty Nguyn who was one of the students participating in the reading timeout.

“I think we’re really going to like it,” she said of the Bobcats Book Nook. “We are going to have a great time in there.”

In addition to the opening of the reading corner, a special assembly was held for the entire student body where a partnership between Walter G. Byers Elementary, Double Oaks Pre-K, LeapFrog SchoolHouse and the Charlotte Bobcats was announced.

“We believe in your potential,” Charlotte Bobcats Vice President of Community Relations LaRita Barber told the students. “We want to make sure you have all the tools you need to be successful.”

Helping the Bobcats provide these necessary tools to the students is LeapFrog SchoolHouse. Known for their educational instructional programs and electronic learning aids, LeapFrog SchoolHouse donated seven pre-k home connection sets to Double Oaks Pre-K and five literacy centers along with a number of ESL books to Walter G. Byers Elementary. All told, the Charlotte Bobcats and LeapFrog SchoolHouse combined to donate $20,000 in goods and services to the two schools.

“The donations made will help increase literacy activities in our students on a daily basis,” said Double Oaks Pre-K Principal Cheryl Merritt.

“We want to thank everyone for their support,” added Principal Vandiver-Tate. “We have wonderful partners who do a lot for our schools.”