Students were lined up in the hallways of Washington Irving Elementary School in Edmond on Thursday afternoon, filing into classrooms as they moved from room to room. All of the sudden, a rippling buzz spread down the corridors.
Towering above the students, Kevin Durant and Kendrick Perkins passed down the hall, and like they were being introduced in the starting lineup at Chesapeake Energy Arena, high-fived every kid as they passed. The duo made a bee-line for the library, where a group of first graders where eagerly awaiting for their Thunder heroes to read them a book as a part of the organization’s Reading Timeout program, presented by American Fidelity.
The book that Durant and Perkins alternated reading was Martin’s Big Dream, a story about the dream and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. February is Black History Month, so delivering the culture-changing message that Dr. King championed during his life was a special opportunity for both men.
“Of course these kids aren’t old enough to really know the impact, but for us to come in here and spread the word of that timeless message to these young kids, it means a lot,” Durant said. “I’m grateful that I got this opportunity to do so.”
“It can never start too early,” Perkins said. “To be able to install that right now, being in first grade, they can learn and get a feeling for what Dr. Martin Luther King meant to us and the whole world. It doesn’t matter your race, whether you’re big or small, we’re the same type of people and treat each other equally.”
Sitting amongst the children in the library was Perkins’ son, who, like the rest of the student body, was completely surprised by the visit. Principal Susanne Dougherty was bustling from room to room in the school to ensure every aspect of the event ran smoothly, and afterwards was thrilled with the finished product. In particular, she was pleased that the players relayed the message that reading is an integral skill for everyone, no matter what.
“When they walked in, everybody knew who they were,” Dougherty said. “You could see it in the children’s faces. They were thrilled to have them here.”
“We’re always looking for ways to get kids engaged in reading,” Dougherty continued. “We wanted to bring our local Thunder celebrities to help encourage reading, to show they are readers, model reading and hopefully the children will realize how important reading is.”
While Durant is relentless in his charity and community efforts in the Oklahoma City area, this was actually the first time he had been a part of the Thunder’s Reading Timeout event. Different from the Rolling Thunder Book Bus, Thunder Fit Clinics and the team’s Holiday Assist events, the Reading Timeout gives students the chance to see players act out the message their teachers try to deliver, of making reading a consistent habit.
“It reminds me of when I was in elementary school,” Durant said. “It was fun to see how excited the kids were. I was excited as well to be here.”
So how did Durant fare in his first Reading Timeout? His teammate Perkins gave him an “A”, but made sure to needle him a little bit too.
“On a scale of one to ten, I’ll give him a nine-and-a-half,” Perkins said, playfully jabbing his younger teammate. “He has some room for improvement but did a good job.”