It's Kids Day Out and @CWPFaifield Is Thrilled to Work with @StagsWBball @FairfieldStags & @FairfieldMirror at Today's Women's Basketball Game

I am proud to say that, over the break, and with the mentorship of Alex McKinnon and Sarah Rarchford from Fairfield University athletics, and via a connection made by Coach Carly Thibault-DuDonis, that the Connecticut Writing Project joined with Corrigan Scholar Max Limric (also editor for The Mirror) to help prepare the 2nd Stagazine, a newspaper to assist Kids Day Out...an event where 3,500 (yes, 3,500) young people will flock to campus on yellow buses to attend the Fairfield Stags & Manhattan Jaspers women's basketball game. I reached out to Coach to see if she or any of her team would like to participate in the MLK Youth Leadership Academy as special guests in February, which led to Game Day conversations, and (WOLA!) the connection to Alex and Sarah.

I agreed to revamp Stagazine - a newspaper for teachers to use with their students after the game - and to lend a hand where the talents of CWP reside....which brings me to Max...who ran with this and excelled. It was a nice winter break project and today, 11 a.m., the tip-off begins. Literacy is central to it all.

Each and every year, I participate in sports literacy conversations at English/Writing conferences across the United States. My cousin, Mark, remains executive director of Hoops4Hope, an international non-profit that uses sports as a vehicle to bring humanity and lifeskill to youth. I've published on this, ran workshops with this, and am always proud to collaborate with the University where and when it fits. Literacy is best when put into action.

I love the way the issue came out and was thrilled to learn The Mirror would print copies for teachers to use with their students (each school gets a copies of the 4-page spread). There are articles about the game, a shout out to Hoops4Hope, an interview of the Coach, herself, a poetic challenge, the Women's Stags roster, and more. As a tremendous fan of NCAA sports, and as a K-12 educator (now University Professor), I realize that athetics and literacy go hand in hand. In fact, I publish that the best teachers run their classrooms as if an athletic coach: skills, drills, game, reflect (repeat). I always have finger-snaps and applause for student athletes, too. The skills they learn for life from organizing their time between academics and training are immeasurable. I also know that sports heightens literacy instruction (as do most out-of-school activities for those we teach). 

I put together swag-bags for various contests (that involve kids) and will have a table set up for teachers to  get books and copies of the Stagazine. 

Each and every year, I'm always impressed by the time and effort of any and all that help to bring so many students to campus. It is tremendously admirable...so much so, that there are no tickets left (I couldn't even get one for colleagues who wanted to attend).  To all who made this day happen, applause, applause, applause.

It's about the game, though. The kids. Their teachers. And Fairfield University Athletics who keep this tradition alive.