Former UGA star receiver’s Reading Rally gets Savannah second graders pumped about books

Footballs flew, a magician performed pratfalls, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson volunteered for a potentially messy magic trick (spoiler alert: it wasn’t). Given that all of this occurred at Enmarket Arena, this story could be about the halftime show of a Ghost Pirates’ game. It is not.

Instead, the arena hosted thousands of Savannah-area second graders (just over a half-hour behind schedule) on Tuesday, Oct. 17, for a Reading Rally. The United Way of the Coastal Empire (UWCE) partnered with University of Georgia (UGA) alumnus and New England Patriots Super Bowl Champion Malcolm Mitchell’s Share the Magic Foundation to make the rally happen. United Way’s press release characterized the event as “an hour-long program that combines a traditional author’s visit and a high-energy pep rally.”

A UWCE spokesperson shared that the organization chose to invite second graders through their partners at Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) because “third-grade reading proficiency is an academic benchmark. We agreed [second grade] was when children most needed the motivation to work hard to read proficiently.”

Lots of pep and some magic…

While students inside the arena awaited the arrival of other classes, Mitchell selected some from the stands to play catch with him. A lively promo for his foundation played on repeat throughout the arrival of the nearly 2,700 students in attendance. Children who were already in the arena, yelled out the numbers from the Ghost Pirates’ branded countdown whenever it replayed.

Once WTOC Anchor Tim Guidera was able to finally kick off the festivities, the second graders yelled as loud as they could every time Mitchell or another speaker encouraged it. SCCPSS Board President Roger Moss asked the children to repeat after him, “If I can read it, I can achieve it.” Repeat they did, with enthusiasm.

Mitchell proved himself a masterful hype man, though he probably had one of the most eager crowds he has ever been in front of. “When I say read you say succeed,” he shouted into his microphone. The children’s screams reverberated at decibels likely on par with any hockey match.

Read was literally the magic word magician John Logan had the children call out whenever he was about to reveal a trick. He enlisted students as volunteers for a few of his tricks. His most noteworthy participant was Mayor Johnson, who played along with a trick that could have drenched his suit in orange juice. He was spared as Logan and Mitchell turned the juice into an orange.

Mitchell and the United Way succeeded in their goal to bolster excitement. “Today was the spark,” he said. “But students are still going to have challenges. The motivation needs to continue. The resources need to be in surplus. Students need to continue to be empowered and our virtual reading challenges gives our organization an opportunity to do that.”

UWCE officials stated the organization is “committed to improving early language and literacy for all children throughout Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty counties.” The Reading Rallies are part of UWCE’s READ UNITED initiative, which encompasses but is not limited to Mitchell’s online reading challenges and Read United Days as well as its new initiative known as Read United Buddies.

…and a reading

What remains to be determined is if events such as Tuesday’s rally help to improve students’ literacy. Both United Way and Mitchell’s foundation claim these types of events do encourage book ownership, which leads students to show further interest in reading.

While at the rally for over two hours (both waiting for it to start and for the duration of it) students were engaged in roughly 10 minutes of reading. Mitchell read from his children’s book, “The Magician’s Hat,” while students followed along. He took a moment to be vulnerable as he shared that many years ago he would have been terrified to read in front of others.

Notably, after Mitchell finished the book, he took time to ask students questions about the story. In educational practices this is known as comprehension. Comprehension is one of the five pillars of the science of reading approach to literacy education. Georgia legislators passed HB 538 or the GA Early Literacy Act in April. The bill mandates that all school districts in Georgia begin to implement science of reading teacher training and curriculum as of July 1, 2023.

Superintendent Denise Watts was scheduled to speak at the rally, but she was unable to because of the delayed start. She did later comment that the rally was a means to build excitement around reading. Schools have been promised a Teacher’s Guide and an animated video of Mitchell reading his book for continued classroom engagement. Watts indicated that there is no official district-wide requirement for teachers to follow up on those materials. Individual educators could potentially choose to implement Mitchell’s book and resources into daily 120-minute reading blocks.

SCCPSS Community Conversation: Savannah School Super held town hall and shared 100-day plan status

A football star was “afraid of books”

Mitchell’s own struggles with reading have been well-documented in many interviews, including an appearance on CBS Evening News while he was still at UGA. His story showcases how elevating his literacy at the age of 19 helped him find success in the NFL and as an author.

Mitchell left much of his journey toward literacy out of Tuesday's presentation. He did share with students that he was oftentimes afraid of books when was their age. “I thought some words were too big. I thought some books had way too many pages.” Early in the rally, he had asked students, by a show of hands, how many thought reading was amazing. The vast majority raised their hands. He then said, “Raise your hand if you're like me and sometimes think reading is hard to do.” Nearly, as many hands went up. He thanked the children for being brave and vulnerable in that moment. He then brought out the magician.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Malcolm Mitchell Share the Magic Foundation rallies second graders around books