Wolves Assist in Renovation Project
It’s not every day 100 kids will howl with excitement at the sight of a wolf in their school. Unless, of course, that wolf is Crunch. The Timberwolves mascot made his debut at North End Elementary School in St. Paul on Monday afternoon. Timberwolves broadcaster Jim Petersen and players Ryan Gomes and Ramon Sessions joined Crunch for the FastBreak Foundation Dedication of the newly renovated Reading and Learning Center at the school.
This makeover was part of the FastBreak Foundation’s yearly project. Suzanne Kelly, interim superintendent for the school district, reiterated the fact that St. Paul public schools are well known for their strong partnerships with outside organizations who help to enrich the lives of the students. Kelly commented that she appreciates organizations like FastBreak who “support the idea of literacy and in a very concrete way—like this library—make that a reality for our kids.”
Timberwolves guard Ramon Sessions enjoys being involved with an organization that encourages kids and lets them know that education is the key to success in life. “We don’t want them to think we didn’t have to do it,” commented Sessions. “We had to go to school day in and day out to get where we are today.”
North End Elementary was chosen for the renovation after Principal Hamilton Bell spoke to the Timberwolves organization after Taste of the Timberwolves last spring. Along with a cheerful attitude and fatherly demeanor, Bell brings a slogan to North End that is reiterated to the students every day: “This is a home of future leaders.” Bell prides his school on this concept, and he finds it important to provide students with positive reinforcement, despite the students’ variety of backgrounds.
“No matter where you’re from socially and economically,” stated Bell, “the way to reach the world is through education. You don’t have to go anywhere to see the world—you can see the world through books.” This idea of success through education was reinforced by the FastBreak Foundation event that dedicated the Center and shared books with the students.
New furniture, wall graphics of Timberwolves players reading, and fresh paint were all a part of the makeover in the library and cafeteria, but the kids were even more excited to meet Crunch and the Timberwolves players.
Timberwolves broadcaster Jim Petersen did a great job at reading while Crunch acted out “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.” The amusing rendition of the children’s classic tells a light-hearted story of Crunch being framed for the death of the three pigs.
The North End kids were completely engrossed in the story, and broke into fits of laughter when Crunch “sneezed” the houses down. After the reading, the kids enthusiastically raised their hands to answer questions about the story and be awarded with NBA Cares T-shirts.
The fun did not stop there, however. Timberwolves forward Ryan Gomes and guard Ramon Sessions made an appearance at the school after the reading to meet with kids and sign Timberwolves 2009-2010 Yearbooks for them. Faces lit up at the sight of NBA athletes coming to spend time with the kids in their own school. One young student looked up in awe at Gomes and asked him, “how tall are you?” Gomes laughed good-naturedly and shook the student’s hand. “I’m 6’7”,” he answered. “How tall are you?”
It’s evident that the players enjoyed interacting with the students and having the opportunity to be in their everyday environment. Sessions enjoys getting to take part in giving kids an experience that he didn’t receive as a child himself. “It brings joy to me, because when I was growing up we weren’t fortunate enough to have an NBA team. When I see kids smiling, I can remember being little and watching NBA players—it means a lot.”
Both Gomes and Sessions stressed the idea that being a role model for kids is a responsibility and challenge that they enjoy taking on. Gomes stated, “These kids are going to be tomorrow’s leaders […]We express the knowledge that we went through the same steps that they’re going through right now. I think it might bring some closure to the dreams and aspirations they might have.”
For more news and notes on the team follow the Minnesota Timberwolves and Jonah on Twitter.
This makeover was part of the FastBreak Foundation’s yearly project. Suzanne Kelly, interim superintendent for the school district, reiterated the fact that St. Paul public schools are well known for their strong partnerships with outside organizations who help to enrich the lives of the students. Kelly commented that she appreciates organizations like FastBreak who “support the idea of literacy and in a very concrete way—like this library—make that a reality for our kids.” Timberwolves guard Ramon Sessions enjoys being involved with an organization that encourages kids and lets them know that education is the key to success in life. “We don’t want them to think we didn’t have to do it,” commented Sessions. “We had to go to school day in and day out to get where we are today.”
North End Elementary was chosen for the renovation after Principal Hamilton Bell spoke to the Timberwolves organization after Taste of the Timberwolves last spring. Along with a cheerful attitude and fatherly demeanor, Bell brings a slogan to North End that is reiterated to the students every day: “This is a home of future leaders.” Bell prides his school on this concept, and he finds it important to provide students with positive reinforcement, despite the students’ variety of backgrounds.
“No matter where you’re from socially and economically,” stated Bell, “the way to reach the world is through education. You don’t have to go anywhere to see the world—you can see the world through books.” This idea of success through education was reinforced by the FastBreak Foundation event that dedicated the Center and shared books with the students.
New furniture, wall graphics of Timberwolves players reading, and fresh paint were all a part of the makeover in the library and cafeteria, but the kids were even more excited to meet Crunch and the Timberwolves players.
Timberwolves broadcaster Jim Petersen did a great job at reading while Crunch acted out “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.” The amusing rendition of the children’s classic tells a light-hearted story of Crunch being framed for the death of the three pigs.
The North End kids were completely engrossed in the story, and broke into fits of laughter when Crunch “sneezed” the houses down. After the reading, the kids enthusiastically raised their hands to answer questions about the story and be awarded with NBA Cares T-shirts.
The fun did not stop there, however. Timberwolves forward Ryan Gomes and guard Ramon Sessions made an appearance at the school after the reading to meet with kids and sign Timberwolves 2009-2010 Yearbooks for them. Faces lit up at the sight of NBA athletes coming to spend time with the kids in their own school. One young student looked up in awe at Gomes and asked him, “how tall are you?” Gomes laughed good-naturedly and shook the student’s hand. “I’m 6’7”,” he answered. “How tall are you?”
It’s evident that the players enjoyed interacting with the students and having the opportunity to be in their everyday environment. Sessions enjoys getting to take part in giving kids an experience that he didn’t receive as a child himself. “It brings joy to me, because when I was growing up we weren’t fortunate enough to have an NBA team. When I see kids smiling, I can remember being little and watching NBA players—it means a lot.”
Both Gomes and Sessions stressed the idea that being a role model for kids is a responsibility and challenge that they enjoy taking on. Gomes stated, “These kids are going to be tomorrow’s leaders […]We express the knowledge that we went through the same steps that they’re going through right now. I think it might bring some closure to the dreams and aspirations they might have.”
For more news and notes on the team follow the Minnesota Timberwolves and Jonah on Twitter.
