Golden Apple: Bemidji State Hockey Visits Horace May Elementary for ‘I Love to Read Week’

Sometime between Valentine’s Day and Dr. Seuss’ birthday on March 2nd, schools around the nation celebrate “I Love to Read Week” as a way to encourage children to read more. This week, Horace May Elementary in Bemidji found a way to reach out to its students through some special guests.

According to a recent report from Common Sense Media, a group that surveys parents about their kids’ media consumption, children aged 8 and younger are still spending just as much time glued to screens as during COVID, that being roughly two-and-a-half hours a day with some form of screen media.

Bringing that number down part of the reason schools across the U.S. celebrate “I Love to Read Week,” which is aimed at getting more kids reading and engaging with books. But students at Horace May Elementary not only got to read some of their favorite books, they also got to spend time with some local athletes.

“We have organized many different people from the community to come in and read to our students,” said Stephanie McSharry, a third grade teacher at Horace May Elementary. “The faces I have seen from our kids here have been unexplainable. They’re so excited to have these readers here.”

On Tuesday, some members of Bemidji State University’s women’s hockey team made their way to Horace May to read to some of the students, and it seems as if the entire team would’ve been there if they could have been.

“They had asked if anybody would want to come read, and I think 25 hands shot up in the room to see who could go,” said BSU women’s hockey player Meredith Killian. “All the people that didn’t have class and didn’t have any conflicts won out in the end, so everybody was really excited to do that.”

Then on Wednesday, it was the men’s turn to read to the students.

“It was super fun,” added BSU men’s hockey player Mitchell Wolfe. “It’s nice to go in there and see their eyes light up and go read a story to them, and I think they enjoyed it.”

On Thursday, the students were treated with not just one, but two very special guests in Horace the Husky, the Horace May Elementary mascot, as well as Bucky the BSU Beaver. It wasn’t just for the students, though. Horace May Principal Kathy Van Wert of Horace May Elementary is a huge BSU Beaver Fan, so the staff at Horace May worked to surprise the principal with a book signed by Bucky himself and members from both the women’s and men’s teams.

“I was a bit surprised, I wasn’t expecting the whole crowd there, but it’s so fun to have Bucky and Horace together,” Van Wert said. “They are a very loving and caring staff, and they know how much I love the Beavers hockey. I think it was appropriate and it’s a book, so it’s all good.”

“I Love to Read Week” isn’t over yet for students at Horace May Elementary. On Friday, students from both the boys’ and girls’ hockey teams from Bemidji High School will be reading to the students throughout the day.