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bobcats.com
February 25, 2008
What had begun as just a normal Monday, turned into something much more exciting for the students at First Ward Elementary School when they were surprised by two very special visitors.
With the entire student body gathered in the auditorium, First Ward Principal April Butler-McConneaughey introduced Bobcats forward Emeka Okafor and mascot Rufus Lynx. The Bobcats duo had stopped by the school to host a Scholastic Book Fairs and NBA Read To Achieve Reading Timeout.
The sound in the room was almost deafening as Okafor made his way through the kids handing out high-fives. Just when it seemed as though it couldn’t get any louder, Rufus made his entrance – dancing, performing tricks and encouraging the kids to scream a little more.
Once the noise had died down, Okafor, a three-year NBA veteran, took a few minutes to explain to the kids about the importance of getting an education and how it had helped him get where he is today.
“I play basketball, but I got here through reading and education,” he told them. “When I was in elementary school, I worked real hard, did all my homework and read all my books. I did the same things in middle school and the same things in high school. When it came time to graduate, all the college coaches came to see me, not because I played basketball, but because I had the grades to play. When I was able to go to college that opened the doors to the NBA.”
He emphasized to the students that getting an education was the key to achieving whatever they wanted to in life.
“I know you guys want to be doctors, teachers or lawyers,” he said. “The key to all that is knowledge. Do your homework, listen to your teachers, listen to your parents and study hard. If you guys do that, you can accomplish anything.”
Okafor also took a few minutes to answer questions from the student body.
“What was your favorite subject in school?” asked one student.
“My favorite subject in school was math,” he told the kids to a round of applause. “I graduated from college with a degree in finance, so there’s a lot of math involved with that.”
“Do you have a good luck charm?” asked another student.
“My good luck charm is my education,” Okafor answered. “It works for me all the time. All you guys can have it too. Teachers try to give it to you every day. You just have to reach out there and grab it.”
Following the question and answer session, Okafor and Rufus helped honor some of the top readers in the school. Each of the honorees received a certificate and a bag filled with Bobcats goodies.
“I think it’s going to have a lasting effect,” said Butler-McConneaughey as she talked about the reading timeout. “I think that these students will look back for years to come and will remember this experience and hopefully it will be the impetus for many of them to go further than they ever thought possible and excel.”
Following the reading timeout, the top readers got to join Okafor and Rufus for an exclusive meet-and-greet. There they were treated to sandwiches, chips, drinks and cake. Okafor also took pictures with the students and signed a copy of a new book by Scholastic- NBA Reader: Fast Forwards - for each of them. The book includes profiles and fun facts about many of today’s top stars, including Okafor.
“Kids look up to NBA players and it’s really great for them to be recognized by people who are their heroes,” said Scholastic Field Sales Manager Laura Carroll. “To have someone like Emeka Okafor and other great NBA players (do that) inspires them to keep on reading."
First Ward Elementary School was one of just four schools in the nation to receive a Scholastic Book Fairs Reading Timeout with an NBA player.
“This school was chosen because they had some outstanding achievement in reading,” said Carroll. “We had some MVP’s here, some great students that really had a great dedication to reading and how important it is.”
“It was such an honor,” said Butler-McConneaughey. “I wanted to emphasize that education is important. Emeka is a great role model for that. It’s been a very exciting experience. We’re very excited about what this means for not only our school, but our district and our community.”
Scholastic has partnered with the NBA and the Bobcats to help promote literacy and education. Scholastic and the NBA have teamed up to publish more than 55 children’s books profiling NBA stars that help encourage kids to read.
“Reading is so important,” said Okafor. “They don’t understand yet how vital it is to their future.”