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October 2, 2023
On September 29, the third graders at Lucile Souders and Howard Hall Elementary Schools got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The youngsters helped NBA Brooklyn Nets Guard Dennis Smith, Jr. launch his Readers for Leaders Program! Smith, a Lucile Souders alum, loves to read and wants children from his hometown and former elementary schools to feel the same way about books.
On September 29, the third graders at Lucile Souders and Howard Hall Elementary Schools got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The youngsters helped NBA Brooklyn Nets Guard Dennis Smith, Jr. launch his Readers for Leaders Program! Smith, a Lucile Souders alum, loves to read and wants children from his hometown and former elementary schools to feel the same way about books.
He visited the students from New York via Zoom and talked with them about the importance of setting goals, reading and being responsible and respectful of others. Each student was given a Readers for Leaders t-shirt and a special journal for recording the number of books read.
As a part of his program, the basketball star promised to award the top readers a pizza party and a trip to an NBA Game. Chickia West, the principal at Lucile Souders Elementary, said she plans to call Howard Hall Elementary's principal, Erica Fenner-McAdoo, and issue 'a friendly challenge' to see whose third graders can read the most books!
This effort is being sponsored by the Two-Six Project, a local non-profit organization that serves as an incubator for initiatives, scholarships, educational programs, sports and creative activities. The Two-Six Project provides exposure opportunities for young leaders from marginalized communities through intentional programming and scholarship.
