The sweltering summer sun lingered between clouds overhead of Lee Elementary School, not yet relenting to fall’s steady advances. In the grass 100 yards away from the school building, the Rolling Thunder Book Bus stood as 85 second graders marched towards it, unaware that two Thunder players awaited them inside.
Thunder third-year men Steven Adams and Andre Roberson were anxiously flipping through books and joking around as the bubbling young students stepped onto the bus to select a book, receive a book mark and put on a Thunder wristband.
Despite still feeling like summer time outside, the school year is already back in full force, and the Thunder’s season is just around the corner. The Thunder duo helped Lee Elementary kick off the school year in style, and the visit was a welcome sign for Roberson and Adams that training camp is near.
“They kind of helped us ring in the new year as well. The season is getting ready to kick off,” Roberson explained. “It kind of reminds me that we’re getting back into the swing of things.”
“It’s time to get back to business,” Roberson continued. “It’s time to share time with the kids and give back to the community. That’s what it’s all about.”
Shelly Deas, the Principal at Lee Elementary, was proud that her staff kept the players’ visit a secret. The school had visits from the Book Bus, presented by American Fidelity, before, but to have Adams and Roberson on board was an experience that put a spark in the kids’ eyes.
“They were shocked and thrilled,” Deas said. “Having the Thunder Book Bus is great, to come out every year. Having players on it as a surprise was a wonderful treat.”
Many of the students at Lee Elementary are ELL, meaning that English is their second language. As a result, reading English in school and at home is extremely important to their ability to keep up with their studies and have the best chance at success in their education moving forward.
In Deas’ mind, having two Thunder players on board the Book Bus, helping the students select a book that interests them and then encouraging them to read is an incredible motivational tool. When children feel confident, comfortable and inspired to do something academically, especially with reading, that only enhances their ability to do well socially and in school. Adams and Roberson were happy conduits of the school’s message that reading is critical, and the impact they made will pay dividends down the line.
“This helps with that reading incentive,” Deas explained. The more we can encourage kids to read, the better. All kids look up to sports teams and everyone in Oklahoma loves the Thunder, so having the Thunder here, giving kids books encourages them to read that much more at home and during their off time.”