The newest element of the Be a T.I.G.E.R! Character Education program, T.I.G.E.R! Read, has just finished up it’s first official year in practice. T.I.G.E.R! Read is a book club designed to encourage reading and articulate the character traits that are the basics of the Be a T.I.G.E.R! Character Education program.
Sarah Egan, a sophomore on the rowing team, lead the program this year at Central Elementary School. Egan found student-athletes every week to go read to children in fourth and fifth grade classes at Central Elementary. Throughout the year, there were about six student-athletes who regularly helped out and developed relationships with these classes. According to Egan, “the kids were all very excited every time a reader came in, and even asked if we were doing T.I.G.E.R! Read with them again next year!” Because of the relationship Clemson Athletics developed with Central Elementary, Central Elementary was the beneficiary of the ACC Connections partnership. All of the books for the program were donated to the classes from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Central Elementary Principal, Idasa Cobb, and reading specialist, Deegie McGill were honored at the ACC Rowing Championships last Saturday, April 21, 2012.
Next year Egan will continue to lead the program, but will be working with students at Blue Ridge Elementary School. “I enjoyed being a part of T.I.G.E.R! Read this year, and can’t wait to make the program event better next year!” said Egan. As with all of the Be a T.I.G.E.R! components, the student-athletes are always thinking of new and creative ways to relate to the children. Each year we are able to accomplish bigger and better things.
