September 21, 2023 – Volunteers from the Winston-Salem State University women’s basketball team visited Griffith Elementary School yesterday to read stories and spend time with students.
Between 10 am and 2 pm, every class at Griffith got a visit from one of the student athletes. They read books to the younger students, discussed what they learned from the books, and took time when they were done to answer questions about what it’s like for them to go to college. It’s important for every student to learn about college opportunities from an early age, and especially for potential first-generation college students, having visits from current university scholars in their classrooms can help them realize that attending college is a goal they can aspire to themselves.
“If your parents didn’t go to college, then you may not be thinking about it or you may not know how it works,” said Instructional Facilitator Crystal Donley. “Bringing somebody in from a college puts it on more of a concrete level.”
The elementary students had a great time reading with the volunteers from WSSU. Even if they were reading books that they already had access to in class, they got to hear those stories in new voices and talk about them with someone who could offer a new perspective. Third Grade Teacher Stephanie Posey says that involving community members from outside the school can offer her students a boost in their education because it can show them that not only their teachers but all the adults in their lives care about making sure they learn and succeed.
“It’s good for them to hear from other people in the community, and not always just from me,” Posey said. “It’s good for them to see that their whole community supports them.”
It was a rewarding experience for everyone involved. The student athletes were happy to lend their time to support their underclassmen, and based on the overwhelmingly positive reactions they got from the kids, they’d be happy to see them again.
“I enjoyed it a lot,” said La’Niya Simes, a WSSU freshman and a recent graduate of East Forsyth High School. “They interacted a lot and they seemed to really like it.”
