Testimonials
5th Grade Teacher: "The 5th grade students loved the opportunity to build their fluency in a safe environment and have that 1:1 attention. The Readers for Leaders program helped some of our students with attendance issues get here on time because they were eager to read and cheer. We also used it as a behavior incentive so the girls were held to consistently high expectations around the school. I am happy that our school has this opportunity and would love to see it continue in the upcoming years."
Student Feedback (5th):
"I would hear the girls come back and explain to their friends what they did. Students would do their cheers at recess. They liked reading and then cheering, it was a good way to start a Friday."
School Counselor: "I’m happy to share the impact the Readers Are Leaders program has been here at Forest Hills Elementary. Our 4th and 5th grade students had a fantastic opportunity to build confidence in their literacy skills while staying active and connecting with peers in the community. It was incredible to see students from both our school and the high school fully engaged and participating. At Forest Hills, we are always looking for ways to strengthen community connections, make learning fun, and incorporate movement into our day—and Readers Are Leaders is a perfect way to do just that!" - Tara Huntsman, School Counselor
5th Grade Teacher: "The girls look forward to every Friday morning! I like that the students get to build a positive relationship with the older girls and see their enjoyment for reading and how it passes onto our students, and learning cheers definitely helps our students enjoy the time!" - Ms. Barrett
5th Grade Teacher: "I loved that the cheerleaders showed up each week with smiles and were happy to see our students. My students looked forward to seeing the cheerleaders each week. They loved getting attention from positive influences."
5th Grade Student: "I liked reading with the cheerleaders, the cheerleaders were really nice to us each week and I loved learning new cheers."
5th Grade Student: "I liked how during reading time we got to take turns reading, they made us comfortable when we were cheering (if we didn't want to cheer in the front) and liked how they got to see different cheerleaders throughout the time."
5th Grade Student: "I liked that I got to know different cheerleaders and learning how to pronounce words in books that I did not know before because they were helping me learn while having fun!"
4th Grade Teacher & 4th Grade Students: "My girls enjoyed and looked forward to Readers are Leaders every week. They enjoyed learning the cheers and chants and would often perform them at recess. My girls also stated they also enjoyed reading with the cheerleaders. My students said the cheerleaders were 'nice and fun'."
Here’s a heartwarming story from the upcoming edition of our Read Lead Succeed literacy newsletter.
The New Hanover High School men’s basketball team comes in a little sleepy at 7:30 on Wednesday mornings. Some are in pajama pants, some in gym shorts, some in crocs, in slides and other footwear that makes the transition from bed to life a little easier.
They lope into the library at Snipes Academy of Arts with bleary eyes, but when they see their “little buddies “ waiting for them, it all changes.
“Mother snakes don’t usually stay with their eggs,” a 6’4” player reads to a second grade boy who’s leaning in, temple almost touching his reading partner’s shoulder, little fingers helping to turn the pages. “She lays them in a soft, warm place and then she leaves them. Soon the baby snake pokes its head out and slithers away”.
Now in its fifth year, the Readers are Leaders program partners New Hanover High school athletes with struggling readers to give the younger buddy a reading role model, and the older buddy the chance to serve as a mentor.
Lenton Donnell, counselor at Snipes and assistant coach of the Hanover basketball team, said the rewards are clear.
“They see older kids that look like them doing positive things and that motivates them to do the same,” he said. “And when it’s ‘read to self time’ in class, it’s like, “Oh man, my buddy was telling me to do this, or read this way, or if I struggle, to sound this word out.”
“For the older kids, titans of their high school, they get to step into a leadership role and practice tenderness and patience to kids who think the world of them,” said Donnell.
Often later at basketball practice they’ll be swapping stories of their time with their buddies, and once the season starts the little buddies will take a field trip to see the Wildcats play.
“I usually don’t get up early, but I try to be on time for this,” said senior guard Jeremy Aldrich, waiting with a stack of books on superheroes, robots and baseball a full hour before his classes at Hanover would start.
“Not all of them have a role model, but they do remember us. They look up to us,” he said. “So it’s me making a change; how much I affect them, is how much it will affect me.”
This is the fifth year the Snipes and Hanover have participated in the non-profit program, which was founded by retired educator and coach Wendell Byrd and serves schools in Virginia and North Carolina. Readers Are Leaders provides the books and also supports the high school team that’s volunteering.
“Our struggling readers see themselves as special because a high school student-athlete cares enough about then to help them improve,” Byrd said. “These students will often develop a more positive and rewarding attitude about reading, more confidence in themselves, and a stronger sense of belonging in a community that cares.”
At Snipes, after focused reading time together, the buddies head to the gym to play basketball.
Second grader Jayden speculates that his buddy Lenier Pocknett doesn’t mind waking up early to come see him every week.
“I like his hair, his personality, his actions,” he said. “He comes to see me so he can read with me and have fun.”
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