MEMPHIS, Tennessee – Imagine a morning where FedExForum is packed with 3,000 enthusiastic area elementary students. Definitely a wake-up call that doesn’t necessitate a cup of coffee. That was the scene on the morning of March 9 when the Grizzlies held the 2010 Read to Achieve Celebration, presented by International Paper with associate presenting partner Burger King, for area elementary students who excelled in the annual six week program.
The Grizzlies All-Star Reading team of Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, DeMarre Carroll and Steven Hunter were on hand to honor the students who had completed the program by reading at least six books in six weeks. Conley addressed the crowd about the importance of reading and education and revealed that his favorite book growing up was Rumplestiltskin. Carroll then faced off against a student in a shooting contest where his Grizzlies teammates got to choose where he would take shots from. Needless to say, arroll’s teammates did not make it easy on him, as he ended up taking shots from a variety of angles, leading to a win for the elementary student.
Following the on-court activities, the top schools who participated in the program this year were presented awards by the players.
After the players left for practice the fun didn’t stop, as Dr. Carrie Weston, author of “The New Bear at School,” read the story to the crowd as actors and dancers from Overton High School acted out the acclaimed children’s book.