Prairie Grove Baseball Promotes Reading

TEAM INVOKES COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT

November 14, 2018 at 4:00 a.m.

by Mark Humphrey ENTERPRISE-LEADER

Graphic created by Tracie Ashley/The R.E.A.D. Initiative is a community service project by the Prairie Grove High School baseball team. Old newspaper bins donated by Northwest Arkansas Newspapers, LLC, have been placed around town as free little libraries where books can be taken and left to encourage reading at home. The team also reads to students at the Elementary School on Fridays.
Graphic created by Tracie Ashley/The R.E.A.D. Initiative is a community service project by the Prairie Grove High School baseball team. Old newspaper bins donated by Northwest Arkansas Newspapers, LLC, have been placed around town as free little libraries where books can be taken and left to encourage reading at home. The team also reads to students at the Elementary School on Fridays.

PRAIRIE GROVE -- Prairie Grove baseball coach Chris Mileham was pumped up Friday about reading something other than opposing pitchers.

Mileham was about to see his team in action in a different setting -- the classroom.

"Super excited to kick off phase one of our two part R.E.A.D program today," Mileham stated in a Prairie Grove Baseball Facebook post, adding, "Thank you to the elementary school and those that all helped make this vision a reality! Proud to be a Tiger!"

Tracie A. Ashley, who teaches eighth-grade history/literacy, in the Prairie Grove School District, described the Prairie Grove High School Baseball community service project.

"Coach Mileham asked me to collaborate with him on a project for his high school baseball team this year," Ashley said. "We have collected old newspaper bins from the Northwest Arkansas Times and will be putting them around town for our 2018 R.E.A.D. Initiative."

Ashley explained the program has two aspects. Part 1 is community-wide.

"We will use these newspaper bins as little free libraries all over town for patrons to leave a book and take a book that they would like to have," Ashley stated in an email. "It is our hope with this part of the initiative that we encourage reading at home -- thus helping to promote reading and good literacy practices that will trickle back into our school systems."

Part 2 takes place in the classroom.

"The PGHS Baseball team will go on Fridays to the elementary school and read to students to help promote literacy in our schools," Ashley said. "As students hear how to articulate and pronounce words, it will greatly impact their literacy scores. Plus, having PGHS athletes come down and spend time with the students will be something that hopefully, they will look forward to and cherish."

Mileham is pioneering the project and mentoring program.

"A huge thank you to the second-grade teachers for your willingness to give up part of your day, so that both parties had this opportunity to grow," Mileham stated in a Prairie Grove Baseball Facebook post Friday.

Sports on 11/14/2018