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AKRON — Akron Elementary School is teaming up with Tippecanoe Valley High School to host Literacy Under the Lights Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. on the Tippecanoe Valley High School football field.
This event is designed to inspire a love of reading by connecting literacy with something students already find exciting: high school athletics, according to a news release from Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation.
The evening will bring Akron Elementary students together with TVSC football players, coaches, cheerleaders and cheer coaches for a celebration centered around reading and lifelong learning. Students will enjoy a light meal, collect autographs, take photos with Viking athletes and cheerleaders and hear high school students read stories alongside them on the football field.
"Our goal is to create excitement around reading and help students see literacy as something that matters far beyond the classroom," said Akron Elementary Principal Scott Sterk. "By connecting reading with people our students admire, we hope they begin to see literacy as something meaningful, relevant and connected to their future."
The event reflects Akron Elementary's commitment to fostering strong literacy skills through explicit instruction. Explicit instruction is a teaching approach that involves clearly explaining concepts, modeling skills, providing guided practice and offering feedback to help students succeed. Teachers work daily to build students' reading abilities, but Literacy Under the Lights extends that learning by helping students understand why those skills are important.
"We want students to know that reading isn't just something they do at school because a teacher asks them to," Sterk said. "Reading is connected to the things they enjoy, the people they look up to, and the opportunities they will encounter throughout their lives."
Organizers hope students walk away with renewed enthusiasm for reading and a deeper understanding of its value. Whether students dream of becoming athletes, artists, teachers, doctors, mechanics, business owners or pursuing another path entirely, strong literacy skills will help them achieve their goals.
The event also highlights the power of community and cross-campus connections.
By bringing together elementary and high school students, Literacy Under the Lights creates opportunities for younger students to interact with positive role models who demonstrate that reading is important at every stage of life, according to the release..
"We want our younger students to see high school students who value reading and literacy," Sterk said. "When football players and cheerleaders take the time to read with children, it sends a powerful message that reading matters to everyone."
Families are encouraged to view the event as more than an evening on a football field. Literacy Under the Lights is an opportunity for the entire school community to come together and celebrate the joy, importance and possibilities that reading creates, stated the release.
