Shuckers lead the way with ‘Hit the Books’
It’s no secret we enjoy reading, and we’re stoked about the upcoming Shuckers baseball season as well.
So it should be no wonder that we support this mashup of two of our favorite things.
We’re talking about the Shuckers’ reading program. It’s pretty simple. Students who read six books can get a ticket to a Shuckers game.
Schooner the Seagull, the Shuckers’ mascot, has been touring Coast schools with other Shuckers people to hold pep rallies. They hope to sign up 10,000 students and give them a “Hit the Books” bookmark to log their reading progress. Once their teacher verifies the student has read six books, the bookmark can be exchanged for a ticket.
Expect to see Shuckers at Gorenflo Elementary and Nativity BVM Elementary on Friday; Anniston Elementary on March 9; Harrison Central Elementary and Singing River Academy on March 15; North Woolmarket Elementary/Middle School, Hancock North Central Elementary and West Hancock Elementary on March 17; and St. Martin East Elementary on March 24. They’ve already been to North Bay Elementary, Coast Episcopal, Bayou View Elementary, Vancleave Upper Elementary, Gaston Point Elementary and Gorenflo Elementary.
It’s a spirit of giving that all of us — businesses, clubs, service organizations and individuals —should emulate. And many of us do.
If you love reading, and would like to spread that love, a good place to start is the South Mississippi United Way. Its United Way Readers work with students in grades 1-5 to help them build reading skills.
By helping these early readers, you’ll be nurturing a skill that will serve them well throughout their lives.
Interested?
Contact Kallee Caldwell at kcaldwell@unitedwaysm.org or 228-896-2213 ext. 7112.
The United Way also can help you sign your child up for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The program, sponsored on the Coast by Harrah’s Gulf Coast and IP Casino, Resort and Spa, will deliver a book a month to young readers, who could receive as many as 60 books.
Nothing predicts a child’s chances for success in school like a strong background in reading. And every child who succeeds in school makes Mississippi a better state.
There are many ways to volunteer in your communities. Helping kids read is a worthy one.
So, we give a tip of the ballcap to the Shuckers and all the Coast’s reading volunteers.
The editorial represents the views of the Sun Herald editorial board. Opinions of columnists and cartoonists are their own.
This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Shuckers lead the way with ‘Hit the Books’."