Tickets RSS Print Share Tweet Adjust Font Size: S M L Lakers Reading Challenge Winners Spend A Day with the Lakers by Eugenia Chow | Sep 2 2010 8:07PM Maurice and the Laker Girls read The Watercolor Cat aloud to the students. Maurice and winning teacher Rob Paglinawan give the camera the “shaka” sign, a gesture commonly used by Hawaiians to convey the “Aloha spirit.” The Laker Girls pose with a young student from Waialua Elementary School Maurice shows students the colorful illustrations of local artist Peggy Chun featured in The Watercolor Cat Maurice takes time to sign autographs and take pictures with the winning students

On Thursday, October 11, Rob Paglinawan’s 5th grade students from Waialua Elementary School were so excited for their afternoon field trip that they could hardly concentrate in class all day. As the winners of the Lakers’ 2007 Read to Achieve Reading Challenge in Hawaii, Mr. Paglinawan’s students had won a private Reading Time Out with Lakers player Maurice Evans and the Laker Girls and tickets to watch the Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors game at the Stan Sheriff Center at the University of Hawaii – Manoa later that evening!

A private bus picked up the Reading Challenge winners at their school in Waialua, which is located on the North Shore of Oahu. When the students arrived at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel in Waikiki, it was the first trip to the “big city” for many of them. They were excited to explore the hotel’s premises and see the penguins, exotic birds, koi ponds and other wildlife for which the hotel is known.

Maurice and the Laker Girls read aloud The Watercolor Cat by local artist Peggy Chun and author Shelly Mecum to the students. The book was selected for the Reading Time Out because it is an inspiring story about courage, perseverance and friendship that resonates with readers of all ages. It features some of Peggy’s most colorful and well-known watercolors and is told through the eyes of her beloved cat, Boo. Afterwards, the students had a chance to ask questions, receive autographs and take pictures with the Lakers guests. They also presented Maurice and the Laker Girls with Hawaiian leis and thank you cards that they had created. The students enjoyed some snacks and refreshments and then boarded their private bus to continue their day of fun with the Lakers.

Upon arriving at the Stan Sheriff Center, the students learned there was another treat in store for them. They would have the opportunity to participate in the Lakers High Five Squad and Honorary Camera Kid program! Fifteen of the students gave “high fives” the players as they ran out onto the court for pre-game warm ups while the remaining five students were given disposable cameras by the Lakers to take pictures of the players warming up. The students also enjoyed a complimentary dinner arranged by the Lakers and throughout the game, could be heard cheering loudly for their favorite team from their seats. Easy to spot in the crowd in their colorful blue Waialua Elementary School t-shirts, the students could also be seen proudly displaying their “GO LAKERS!” signs. Without a doubt, the students had a great day with the Lakers and many stories of their exciting adventure to tell their friends at school the next day!

Since 2001, the Lakers has teamed up with the Honolulu Advertiser’s Newspaper in Education program to offer the Lakers Reading Challenge to Oahu’s public schools. For a 14-day period from September 12-25, 2007, students in 3-8 grades were asked to document the number of minutes they spent reading outside of class. Over 140 classrooms participated in the Reading Challenge, and Mr. Paglinawan’s twenty students won by reading a total of 27,346 minutes, for the highest class average of 1,368 minutes per student. More than 3,000 students participated this year and read for a total of almost 1.3 million minutes. To further promote literacy and motivate students, the Los Angeles Lakers also awarded students who read 30 minutes or more each day during the 14-day reading period with a special prize, a Lakers Read to Achieve lunchbag.

In 2005, over 3,400 Oahu students read for 1.4 million minutes while participating in the Los Angeles Lakers Reading Challenge. Chelsea Harry’s 7th and 8th grade class from Ho’ala School won the challenge that year by reading a total of 30,453 minutes, for a class average of 2,175 minutes per student. Past winners also include Michelle Takenishi’s 5th and 6th grade classroom from Red Hill Elementary, Malia Mataele's 6th grade students from Puohala Elementary and Elaine Koanui's class from Maemae School.

The mission of the NBA’s Read to Achieve program is to build a lifelong love of reading in young people, promote the value of reading and online literacy, and encourage families and adults to read regularly with young children. The Lakers strive to accomplish this goal by building Lakers Reading and Learning Centers, conducting Reading Time-Outs, organizing our annual Lakers Reading Challenge, and holding book drives on game nights.