Ducks forwards Patrick Eaves and Ben Street spent last Thursday morning focused on puck movement and skating drills during a morning practice at Honda Center, but in the afternoon their concentration shifted to Chester's loyalty to the Icehogs.
Eaves, Street Take Part in Reading is the Goal Day at Lincoln Elementary
That's because the two Ducks took part in the annual Reading is the Goal Day at Lincoln Elementary in Anaheim, where they read to kids at a special assembly from the book,Brady Brady and the B Team by author Mary Shaw.
"As players we enjoy doing something like this," Street said. "This is a great event for the kids. For our appearance and us reading to the kids to mean so much, that's pretty cool. It's nice when an organization wants to give back and be involved in the community. It's nice for us because we get to interact with the people who come and watch us."
Eaves and Street, who each have kids of their own, enjoyed taking part in the reading and Q&A session from various students, hosted by Ducks TV play-by-play announcer John Ahlers.
"Even before I had kids, I liked coming to schools and getting involved," Eaves said. "You want to be a part of something like this. It's pretty impressive to see how much work went into today. You can see how involved the team is in events like this. I thought it was awesome."
Street, who is in his first season in Anaheim, said he reads frequently to his daughter, "and I hope she enjoys reading when she grows up. Anything we can do to promote that to these kids and encourage them to keep reading is important. You can learn a lot from picking up a book."
Prior to the assembly, Ducks staffers visited classrooms from kindergarten to sixth grade, answered questions about the team and the sport of hockey and read to kids from various books.
"We've had some fabulous readers coming into our classrooms, and the students are having a great time," said Liz Chaney, fourth grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary. "It's absolutely fantastic because it lets the students in our school know just how much they're cared about and how much the community cares about them. It's really great to have the Ducks here."
Kids also took part in street hockey on the playground with the help of the day's most popular guest, Wild Wing, and street hockey equipment was donated to the school by the Ducks.
"There is a lot of excitement going on, and the kids and staff are very excited," said Lincoln Elementary principal Dale Hillyer. "But for us, we're really motivated to get our students reading well, and this is a program that supports that for us. Reading is the gatekeeper to success in life, so having the Ducks support our reading program has been really important."
Reading is the Goal, a division of the Ducks' S.C.O.R.E. (Scholastic Curriculum of Recreation and Education) program, is free to all fourth-grade students in Southern California and is made possible by the Anaheim Ducks Foundation. The program rewards students for their time spent reading per day within a 30-day period. S.C.O.R.E. aims to convey the importance of reading as the foundation to success and to begin cultivating a love for reading amongst the participants in the program. Over 10,000 students from over 300 classrooms benefitted from the 30-day reading program during the 2017-18 season.
"Every effort we can make to motivate our students to read is important," Hillyer said. "What I'm really hoping is the kids continue to thrive and continue to strive for great reading success, and really push themselves so they can have a successful future."
The award-winning Ducks S.C.O.R.E. program was developed in 2005 with the ultimate goal of promoting healthy living and academic excellence to all students in Southern California. Through its initiatives, Ducks S.C.O.R.E. has contributed to the educational landscape within traditional and non-traditional settings while impacting over 60,000 students annually.
"Reading is the Goal has been an awesome program for our scholars because it helps them know that reading is very important," said Chaney. "If you can read you can do anything. It has encouraged our students to participate and make sure they're reading every night."
In addition to Reading is the Goal, S.C.O.R.E. includes school supplies donations and the First Flight Field Trip as part of its in-class education initiatives. The physical education component of S.C.O.R.E. was designed to teach students the fundamentals of hockey, the importance of healthy living and positive character traits. All Ducks S.C.O.R.E. program initiatives are free of charge to schools and students through funding from the Anaheim Ducks Foundation. The mission of the Anaheim Ducks Foundation is to facilitate and support programs that produce positive change for children and families throughout Southern California by providing educational opportunities, broadening access to the sport of hockey and addressing the health and wellness needs of the community.
"When I got the email from the Ducks that they had chosen us for this, I jumped up and down in my classroom, because I was so excited," Chaney said. "It's just incredible. I'm so excited we have Ducks here to talk with us. Just to have them here is unbelievable."
For more information on the Anaheim Ducks S.C.O.R.E. program, please visit
www.ducksscore.com
.
