On Friday, Oct. 18, the football and cheerleading team came together to read to Cardinal Forest Elementary School first graders. It is the first time the schools have coordinated this event and some are hoping to make it a tradition.
“I think this is something we can do every year, it seems like the kids and players are excited and we hope to do this every year,” said head football coach Anthony Parker.
These first graders came prepared for their high school reading partners with colorful hand drawn pictures expressing their excitement through drawings. The elementary students jumped up and down as they waited their turn to choose the books their partners would read to them. Once the children chose their books, they found a spot around the football field to sit as if they were at a picnic.
The cheerleaders, football team, and first graders were littered across the field. The cheer squad and football players read as the future West Springfield High School students listened intently.
“I think it was really fun to read and just hang out [with the kids],” said sophomore cheerleader Elizabeth Weavley. “The kids were really cute.”
After the students finished reading, they got up and formed a line across the end zone. To conclude their visit, all students raced across the field and huddled together to take a picture. Many first graders wished the varsity football team good luck in their upcoming match against West Potomac that night, which the team won 42 to 12.