I distinctly remember my days at North Wales Elementary; sitting on the library’s carpet floor and being thrilled that a real life, grown up football player was reading right in front of me. At age seven, I don’t think I fully understood the fact that the player with Nike sneakers and a Knights jersey on wasn’t going to play in the Superbowl, but it sure as heck seemed like it.

However, the best part about it was that this senior in high school was reading Dr. Seuss and instead of my attention going to my shoelaces or the number of seconds the clock had left before I got to go out for recess, I was listening to every word of the story.

For some young students, those irreplaceable memories that I had were just made yesterday. For others, those memories were experienced again. But for all elementary kids across the North Penn School District yesterday, the North Penn Knights brought excitement to hundreds of these young readers.

Yes, for those who grew up attending a North Penn elementary school, you know that yesterday was the Reading Superbowl. The annual tradition is a staple to the elementary schools’ reading programs and highlights the importance of reading in students’ everyday lives.

During the day, each football player traveled to his own elementary school, where each was assigned a grade level to read to. When given the opportunity to attend the event, I just had to go back and visit my ‘alma mater,’ North Wales Elementary.

“The kids are so excited when they hear about the players coming. They want to know what story they’re going to read, when they are coming… It’s a nice build-up of excitement for the students waiting for the players,” said North Wales Elementary reading specialist Barbara Burns-Lacey.

The players get to read a children’s book to the class and after, hand out their own player cards, complete with the Knight’s team picture and stats. It’s not uncommon for a handful wide-eyed students to stop to ask the players for autographs when heading back to class.

Senior Corey Colby was one of the players who read to North Wales’s fourth grade class.

“This whole day shows me where I was in elementary school and I remember the players who came and read to us as little kids. It’s funny because I remember when I was in sixth grade, I thought I was going to be playing football in the future but never thinking it would be for North Penn. And now I ended up playing for them and doing what they did here,” mentioned Colby.

The Knights also had a message they wanted to deliver to the kids listening, one that combined success in academics and sports alike.

“I told [the students] that your grades come first and that no sport can be played if your grades aren’t good enough. Keeping your grades up is the most important thing,” said Colby.

Burns-Lacey went on to say that North Wales, just like all the elementary schools, strives to make reading fundamental in the lives of each and every student.

“We start them off in kindergarten with R.I.F. (Reading Is Fundamental). It’s one day where the entire focus is on reading. You have Clifford the Big Red Dog visiting where kids get their picture taken, and students get to pick their own personal book. I always go and read to every class and tell them that ‘this is your very own book for the rest of your life. When you’re grown up you can show it to your children’,” said Burns-Lacey.

Later on in the year, North Wales incorporates story characters like Curious George and Cinderella into interactive reading days. And currently, the reading department has a school-wide reading competition where kids can challenge themselves to read twenty five books in one semester.

Thanks to the dedicated librarians, teachers, and most importantly yesterday, football players, opportunities to improve upon students’ reading skills are always available.

“It’s wonderful to see a true love and enthusiasm for reading. The young kids see these guys as role models. For them to see a football player that is so engaged with wanting to read, and reading with expression and asking the kids if they’re reading books, it’s a great thing.”