Sports stars encourage kids to get reading
A LOCAL primary school has enlisted the help of top
sports stars to ignite the love of reading in its young pupils.
This week the Scholastic Book Fair was at Christ The Redeemer Primary and the school decided that as one of the major educational issues of the day is the underachievement of boys, particularly in literacy and even more specifically in reading, what better way to prove to boys (and girls alike) that reading is cool than to bring local sports stars in to read to the children. A positive galaxy of stars agreed to give of their time to show pupils and parents that whatever the age, children like to be read to and that lifting a book is often the doorway to a whole new world that engages the imagination like no film or video game.
The school welcomed Antrim Ladies footballers Eimear Gallagher and Seainin Daykin, Antrim footballer Kevin O'Boyle, St Gall's GFC Captain Terry O'Neill, Antrim Captain Paddy Cunningham and Ulster and Ireland rugby player Justin Fitzpatrick.
The pupils are also looking forward to a visit by the Belfast Giants next month.
The school hopes that this initiative will show boys (and girls) the positive nature of reading and it will be the springboard into the launching of book clubs for children across the year groups, and hopefully the beginning of creating a group of children who will become lifelong readers.
Ulster Star
27/11/2009
