Milton Area High School’s Athletic Department hosted its first Literacy Night at the stadium, with over 80 high school athletes spending part of their evening reading stories to nearly as many elementary school students.
The Aug. 24 event was “a success,” according to Dean of Students Mr. William Campbell. Milton plans to host more Literacy Nights in future sports seasons and years, said Senior Lydia Crawford, who led Literacy Night.
“I am excited for … coming years. Hopefully this can be a tradition,” added Lydia.
The high school students read stories such as The Lorax and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, said Mr. Campbell.
He added that each elementary school student received a t-shirt, sponsored by Mifflinburg Bank and Trust, and two books, one from the Milton Public Library and one from the school district.
All students also participated in a raffle for prizes, donated by fall sports teams and the athletic department, said Mr. Campbell. He added there were 20 to 25 prizes, including candy, footballs, soccer balls and bobblehead panthers.
Lydia said the idea of Literacy Night came from Senior Cale Bastian, who moved from Selinsgrove School District and was aware of a similar event.
“It was way bigger than what I thought it was going to be. I was shocked about all the kids that we had turn out and all the amazing feedback we got from it,” said Lydia.
Mr. Campbell said giving back to the younger students is “vital” in order to get them involved in sports and academics.
“It’s a great thing to get the elementary school involved and just spreading the culture from our four walls out into the community and trickle down through the rest of the school district,” said Lydia.
Student athletes were chosen for the event because elementary students look up to high school athletes as role models, according to Mr. Campbell.
“You can see the pictures of the football team laying on the ground reading, and students just in awe of them. Students want to go take pictures with their favorite players and it made their night,” said Mr. Campbell.
“The athletes really got into it with dancing and cheering in between reading,” added Mr. Campbell, who said he enjoyed seeing “the smiles on everybody’s faces.”
“I think our high school athletes did an amazing job,” he added.
Mr. Campbell said he encourages all students to suggest ideas, such as hosting an event, starting a club or finding ways to give back to other students and the Milton community. He added students should talk to either him, Athletic Director Mr. Rod Harris or Co-Principal Mr. Michael Bergey.
