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The Bobcats unveiled their newest reading
corner at Nations Ford Elementary.

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With the snip of a pair of scissors, Bobcats guard Earl Boykins and mascot Rufus Lynx helped make reading a little more fun for the kids at Nations Ford Elementary School.

“Reading is important,” the 5-5 guard explained to a group of first and second graders, who had gathered in the school’s library. “You can’t get a job, you can’t go to college and you can’t do good in school if you can’t read.”

Following those words of encouragement, Boykins and Rufus, with the help from a pair of students, cut the ribbon to unveil a brand-new Bobcats Reading Corner. As soon as the ribbon hit the ground, the kids surged forward eager to get inside and meet the Bobcats stars.

The students quickly settled down though, finding places to sit on the many colored rugs and basketball-shaped pillows scattered throughout the reading corner. Boykins found his own spot on a couch draped with a Read To Achieve throw, and invited the students to listen as christened the reading corner by sharing the story of Barthello, a bug with only one wing, who still manages to save his friends’ lives because of his heart and determination.

Following the story, Boykins and the students had a little fun. The kids had a chance to interact with the nine-year NBA veteran, asking him about his playing career and his teammates. The students also shared some of their favorites with Bobcats point guard, telling him about their favorite books and favorite sports.

But the fun wasn’t over yet. Boykins and Rufus led the kids in a game of Simon Says that included everything from making monkey faces to wiggling their noses. The kids also joined forces with the Bobcats in a cheer. “Give me a B.” “B,” they shouted, spelling out the name Bobcats while waving orange and blue pom-poms.

“I think whenever you get to go out and talk to kids and interact with kids, it’s always great because they’re like sponges at this age,” said Boykins. “Whatever you say, they soak it up. They’re always excited, so it makes the event a lot of fun.”

While the kids at the event are sure to take away many memories from the day, the creation of a reading corner at Nations Ford Elementary will continue to have an impact on the students for weeks to come.

“It’s so special for our kids to have a place like this in our school,” said Jennifer Loeffler, a teacher at Nations Ford Elementary. “For all of our kids, they don’t have that special place to read at home. All of us growing up, we had a place to go and curl up with a book and read, but for our kids, this school is that place for them. To have this corner in the media center where they can pick a great book and read with their friends is really great for them.”

The Bobcats Reading Corner is the perfect place to get excited about reading. Pictures of Bobcats players in action along with autographed jerseys adorn walls painted bright orange and blue. Bobcats memorabilia decorates the shelves and a lifesize cutout of Emeka Okafor stands in the corner. Quotes from Matt Carroll and Sean May that talk about the importance of reading are stenciled onto the wall.

“Reading makes you smarter and opens your mind to many new things,” Carroll’s quote reads. “It makes you realize how much is out there in the world.”

Having a reading corner at the school will hopefully inspire students to continue to work at becoming good readers.

“Our kids really look up to professional athletes and they don’t have a good understanding of how hard they had to work to get where they are,” said Loeffler “ They don’t understand they had to work hard in school and be really good readers to get where they are. Having that up on the wall helps them remember every day that these players think it’s important to read, so they should think it’s important to read too.”

Boykins agrees that having a reading corner like this that features Bobcats players is a great way to get students interested in reading.

“It definitely makes you want to come in here,” he remarked. “Whenever you have anything different in the library, it attracts the children to actually want to come in. Even if they’re in here looking at the pictures, they will hopefully see the books and want to be a part of it.”