Tennis student-athletes share passion and curiosity through Early Bird Reading Program with elementary students
Colorado Mesa University’s Men’s and Women’s Tennis Teams visited New Emerson Elementary School to engage in their Early Bird Reading program as part of the Where We Become Mavericks initiative, which is focused on showing students in Mesa County that higher education is accessible and affordable for them at CMU.
Early Bird Reading is unique to New Emerson Elementary School. This community-based, before-school reading program has parents, community members and teachers listen to children read aloud. The goal of the Early Bird Reading program is to increase reading comprehension strategies with an emphasis for facilitating the independence of each reader.
Part of New Emerson Elementary School’s theme of the month was “Share your Passions.” CMU men’s and women’s tennis student-athletes joined in to share their passion for tennis and learning while their buddies read from their favorite book.
Literary confidence is key in a student's educational journey, and the Where We Become Mavericks initiative aims to inspire confidence and curiosity aligning with CMU’s core values. Visits like the one to New Emerson Elementary School highlight the importance of higher education in small, meaningful ways.
The CMU tennis teams read with kindergartners through fifth graders. The kids start out being nervous but as they get further into their reading time the student-athletes were swarmed by students eager to read their book aloud.
True to New Emerson Elementary School's monthly theme, both the CMU student-athletes and New Emerson students were able to share their passions with each other in many heartwarming moments.
