The Red and Black

Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: News

Media Credit: NICK PASSARELLO Zac Swansey (left), a freshman guard from Dunwoody, and Ricky McPhee, a junior guard from Lawrenceville, sign autographs for elementary school students and their parents as part of Gaines Elementary School's November Family Reading Night on Thursday. Author Charisse Richardson also spoke at the event. [Click to enlarge]

Gaines Elementary School got plenty of help Thursday evening at the Family Literacy Night from both the community and the University.

The event, aimed at getting children interested in reading, recruited the help of parents, the men's and women's basketball teams and motivational speaker and author Charisse Richardson. Richardson, author of two children's books, grew up in Athens and went to the elementary school to motivate students to read.

Richardson spoke to a large crowd of parents, students and teachers.

"You travel to different places when you read. So we want to encourage you to read because whatever you do in life, reading helps do it better," Richardson said.

Gaines Principal Phyllis Stewart said the school hosts events like this every month to bring parents and teachers together to help motivate students to do better in school. "The goal is to get every child to read," Stewart said. According to Stewart, this year's theme is "Pig out on books," and at the end of the year as a reward to students for reading she will kiss a pig.

Men's basketball assistant coach Mike Jones spoke at the event and reminded the children the University basketball players are student-athletes.

"We call them student-athletes because the student comes first. These guys had to be good students to be where they are now," Jones said. Junior guard Corey Butler was among the student-athletes present at the event. He and fellow teammates were there to help in the gym and to sign posters for the kids.

"We always like to do community service and give something back to the kids," Butler said. Laura Leong, a kindergarten teacher at Gaines, said, "This is a great opportunity for the community to come out and support the school and children."

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