HISTORY 2003–2005

FIRST STEPS

In the fall of 2003, the South Lakes High School boys' basketball program, with the financial support from the Colburn Family Foundation, put in place a reading and mentoring program under the guidance of head basketball coach, Wendell Byrd.

South Lakes High School developed a partnership with Terraset Elementary School in Reston, Virginia. Terraset provided a perfect opportunity to launch Readers Are Leaders because it was located next to South Lakes and because the Terraset staff was committed to finding additional reading support for its weakest readers.

CONCEPTION

The initial idea for the program was rooted in two commitments that Coach Byrd emphasized in his career of over 30 years as teacher and coach:

1) His work as an elementary school teacher, focusing on reading as the key to empowering students, and
2) His yearly commitment to involving his basketball players in community service.

As a teacher, he realized the importance of role models and the need to develop resources and a supportive environment for young readers. As a coach, he realized the importance of developing character and responsibility in his players. He also experienced the yearly challenge of raising funds for equipment and tournaments that would help to enrich the experience and develop the athletic talents of his players.

MISSION AND SUPPORT

With the enthusiastic support from the Colburn Family Foundation, the South Lakes basketball program focused its yearly community service efforts on achieving the following goal:

“Our mission is to provide essential reading strategies and learning opportunities to at-risk elementary students from families with limited financial resources, and at the same time, to provide high school students with the opportunity to develop as role models and mentors.”

Readers Are Leaders drew together 90 students during each of its first 2 years. The funding provided books and incentives for the elementary school students and assistance for the South Lakes basketball program.

Although no statistical data were recorded, the program received enthusiastic responses from the elementary school students and their parents as well as Terraset teachers and administrators. Many focused on the fact that these kids not only improved as readers but were also encouraged by players, who filled the role of an older, supportive brother. The high school athletes also found the experience intensely rewarding as they developed bonds and saw that they could make a difference in the lives of these elementary school students.

HISTORY 2005–2010

NEXT STEPS: SHARING THE MODEL AND EXPANDING THE PROGRAM

The success, good will, and encouragement achieved in the first 2 years of the program caused us to reach out to the broader community of Northern Virginia to share our model. One key to the success of the program is the sharing of resources between schools that are located in proximity to one another; such teamwork is also a critical component of the model campus concept.

In 2005-2006, we successfully extended the Readers Are Leaders program to the Centreville High School Boys' Baseball program and Girls' Softball program, partnering with Centreville Elementary School. (At this point, the program involved a total of 150 high school and elementary students.)

In 2006-2007, we were able to extend the program further by adding four selected programs: Stuart and Falls Church High Schools, partnering with the James Lee Community Center; TC Williams High School, teaming with Jefferson Houston, Cory Kelly, and Maury Elementary Schools; and Washington and Lee High School, pairing with Tuckahoe Elementary. Working with the community centers provided an opportunity to help young readers in after-school care programs (a total of 300 students this year).

COMMUNITY CENTERS

In 2006, Readers Are Leaders developed a partnership with the Teen Services Division of Fairfax County Community and Recreation Services. Since then, under the leadership of Evan Braff (Director of Teen Services) and Wendell Byrd, more than half of Fairfax County's community centers have joined in this partnership: Bailey's (Falls Church), David R. Pinn (Fairfax), Gum Springs (Alexandria), James Lee (Falls Church), James and Marguerite Mott (Fairfax), and Southgate (Reston). This teamwork has created reading opportunities for the young people (kindergarten through sixth grade) in the community centers' after-school program. Wendell coordinates the activities with the community centers, and either he or a reading specialist trains the student athletes as they become reading mentors. Readers Are Leaders has helped to provide an enriching educational component to the after-school experience by offering the same opportunity for growth and development that has been so successful for the kids that we work with in our elementary schools. Families concerned with the academic growth of their children have appreciated this support not only for its educational benefits but also for the encouragement, confidence building, and development of work habits and positive attitude that have often resulted through the partnership with our student athletes.

In 2007-2008, Readers Are Leaders grew further, building four more partnerships: Mount Vernon High School with Gum Springs Community Center, Robinson High School with Pinn Community Center, Wakefield High School with Claremont Elementary, and Woodbridge High School with Old Bridge Elementary (a total of 435 students).

In 2008-2009, we piloted a program that targeted younger students. In the past, we had worked only with students in second through sixth grades. However, this year we extended our reach at Graham Road Elementary School, where we also worked successfully with kindergarten and first grade students.

We added the Southgate Community Center in Reston to our program, and we removed one elementary school—a recent addition that was not meeting the commitment to quality, organization, and care that we expect from schools that participate in our program.

We also added two more girls' athletic programs, one at Falls Church and the other at South Lakes High School.

At Old Bridge Elementary School this year, the efforts of a spring team and a fall team from Woodbridge High School produced our first year-round program. At Woodbridge, we also added a girls' soccer team to our program, extending the student-athlete base beyond our basketball, softball and baseball teams (a total of 504 students).

In 2009-2010, we added the James and Marguerite Mott Community Center in Fairfax to our program partnering with the Boys' Basketball program at Centreville High School.

We also added the following five partnerships to our program: Lee HS's Boys' Basketball program, partnering with Lynbrook ES; Yorktown HS's Boys' Basketball program, partnering with Nottingham ES; Hayfield HS's Girls' Basketball program, partnering with Hayfield ES; Herndon HS's Girls' Basketball program, partnering with Hutchison ES, and Herndon HS's Girls' Lacrosse program, partnering with Herndon ES.

The inclusion of Herndon's Girls' Lacrosse program marks the addition of another sport for us. We started in 2003 working with a boys' basketball program and now work with both girls' and boys' programs, and we have branched out to include basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, and now lacrosse. Working with multiple sports in a school allows us to pass the baton of mentorship from athletes in one program to athletes in another and thus work with elementary school students throughout the school year. We are currently working year round with students in Old Bridge ES and Herndon ES.

With this growth, our program brought together the efforts of 650 students this year.