Gameday Magazine June

Southpaw’s “Hit the Books” Reading Program

The HIllcats are proud to present “Hit The Books” program to over 40 schools to Lynchburg and surrounding counties in 2018. “Hit the Books” is a reading program established by the Hillcats Front Office to encourage local students to read more while providing them with the opportunity to earn two free tickets to a 2018 Hillcats game. Kestrel Kerl, Max Rettig, and Southpaw act out a day in the life of an elementary school student (Southpaw), based on the book “Southpaw Goes to School” written by Hillcats staff.  Southpaw must touch all  four bases (respect, integrity, learning and teamwork) throughout his day. The assembly highlights the four values above in parentheses with a strong focus on reading everyday.  “The reading pro- gram is such a fantastic way, not only to engage and interact with our community, but also a wonderful tool to help show students, that reading is not only impor- tant, but fun and rewarding as well! It truly is a joy to be able to bring and share our program with so many local children” says Rettig. Each student receives a copy of the book and bookmark that tracks reading progress. If a student completes the goal of reading four books they’ll earn two

free tickets to a reading program game presented by Blue Eagle Credit Union. “It is a joy to see students attend a game and excitedly tell me they read four books. The true meaning of our “hit the books” program is to get kids reading consistently and develop a joy. It’s been a pleasure going to so many schools and meeting so many students. It really is one of the highlights of my job and I love see- ing so many familiar faces at the game” Kerl said. Reading Nights for the 2018 season: April 7th, May 5th, May 16th, May 20th, June 9th.

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