Super Bowl Champion stops by local school to spread joy of reading
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – On Tuesday morning at Warren Elementary School, a Super Bowl champion stopped by to spread the joys and importance of reading.
Former University of Georgia and New England Patriots wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell was a part of the legendary come back victory when the Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. During his career, he became an advocate for reading and literacy, which started after he wrote his own book in 2016. He now travels the country telling his story of how he got into reading and the importance of picking up a book.
Josh Porter, the principal of Warren Elementary, says that having an influential figure like Mitchell shows that reading can be fun, and a gateway to success is important for the younger generation to see.
“We all have dreams when we’re little kids. We all want to do different things. And so bringing in someone that’s been on a national stage like the Super Bowl, bringing him in and hearing him talk to all of our kids and letting the kids just soak in that he was just like them. He had big dreams. But reading was the foundation for all of it, paying attention in school, doing his best is what got him to the level that he is today,” Porter said.
The students were also treated to a magic show that incorporated reading directions carefully and thoroughly. Mitchell and the magician even played a small prank on a teacher who volunteered. Mitchell says that the magic of reading and education is what opens up opportunities for the future, and that sports and learning are actually very similar.
“Well, for me, sport, it’s not very complex, right? You try your best, you wake up, you practice, and those things are easily understood in terms of becoming a better athlete or becoming a better thinker. Becoming a better learner is the same formula. You wake up, you try. You read. You put yourself in situations where you can grow and expand. So to me, that same philosophy applies not just in sport but also in education,” Mitchell mentioned.
Mitchell stuck around after the event autographing books for students and staff, taking photos and playing some more catch with with the kids and school staff.
