Crystal Lake South's Gators inspire young Dist. 47 readers

On Thursday, Sept. 18, more than 65 Crystal Lake South Gator football players, cheerleaders and dance team members boarded buses not to their next football game but to District 47's Indian Prairie Elementary School.

Gator athletes have been coming to the school to read to kindergarten to fifth-grade students as part of South's homecoming week festivities since 2001.

The event is a win-win for both schools, as many Gators who are former Indian Prairie students enjoy going back to their roots.

"As an elementary student I loved having the Gator football team come and read to my class. It was a special day for not only me but also for my classmates," said senior football captain Joe Ahsmann. "Now, as a player, I really think it's a good opportunity to give back to our community and promote reading and making the right choices to the younger kids."

For Indian Prairie teachers and administrators, they, too, enjoy seeing former students every year and are always amazed by the impact the high school athletes make on their young counterparts. Indian Prairie principal Jim Kelley said, "It is great to see so many former students return to the school and share their love of reading. These are incredibly busy kids who do great things for their schools and the community. We're thrilled to have them here every year."

For Lauren Stroman, who is both a first-grade teacher at Indian Prairie and a varsity dance team coach at Crystal Lake South High School, the event was an unforgettable experience.

"Speaking as a coach with the high school athletes the night before showed me how their love for reading and school has not diminished," Stroman said. "On the flip side, speaking as a teacher with my first graders the morning of the event showed me how important it is for young students to have role models who inspire them to try new things. This has been a great experience overall for our community and students."

Afternoon festivities kicked off with a pairing up of the athletes with student representatives from each class in the cafeteria. The students then led the athletes back to their classrooms, where the high schoolers introduced themselves and fielded eagerly asked questions like "What position do you play?" and "What's the best part about being on a team?" South students then took turns reading snippets from books that were chosen ahead of time by Indian Prairie teachers.

After reading, the athletes mingled with the elementary students, asking about their interest in sports and signing autograph sheets before boarding the bus back to South.

"It is great to see the South athletes giving back to the community," said Crystal Lake South principal Scott Shepard. "This is a great tradition that helps our students understand that they are role models."