AU Pro Volleyball Teams up with MMSD for “Mad for Reading” Initiative
Athletes Unlimited Pro Volleyball Athletes paid a special visit to students of the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) before kicking off the second stint of Championship action as part of the district’s “Mad for Reading” program.
Molly McCage, Brittany Abercrombie, Khat Bell, Madi Bugg, Natália Zilio Periera, Bethania De La Cruz-Mejía, Temi Thomas-Ailara, Annayka Legros, Carly Graham, Isabella Bergmark, Jordan Thompson, Natalia Valentin-Anderson, and McKenna Vicini spread out across John Muir Elementary School classrooms with grade levels ranging from kindergarten through second grade and read aloud to the students.
The “Mad for Reading” initiative was created to inspire joy and passion for reading and to emphasize the importance of literacy across multiple languages. The program includes reading events and challenges, with the aim of driving educational engagement across the school district.
Setter Valentin-Anderson, whose mother is a kindergarten teacher with over 35 years of experience, felt right at home in the classroom.
“A lot of people were saying that I was a natural, and I think I’ve learned it from her…I feel like I would have been a great teacher,” she said. “It’s just so nice to go and, like, be around kids that have zero judgment for who you are, or what you do. They’re just loving, you know, and I feel like we should all be more like kids.”
Valentin-Anderson noted the impact that the day’s reading material had on the emotions of the students.
“The book I got to read to them was called ‘Grumpy Monkey, ‘” she recounted. “It was very interesting, because there were a couple of kids that were just upset in general when we got into the classroom, but by the end of reading the book, they were actually sitting and listening. We talked about the message. Sometimes, we’re grumpy, and we don’t know why, and it’s okay to acknowledge it and give ourselves time to feel better.”
Thompson was similarly touched by the message of the book she read to her classroom of first graders.
“I read a book called ‘My Hair is Magic,’ and it was so cute because the class was really diverse, and there were some young mixed girls, Black girls, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this such a sweet experience, being able to read a book that’s about celebrating your hair and your differences and diversity.’”
Multilingual athletes Valentin-Anderson, Zilio Periera, and Cruz-Mejía had the chance to read books in their native languages and valued the chance to connect with the diverse group of students.
“I had the opportunity to read in Spanish, and Carly Graham was with me, and she read it in English,” Valentin-Anderson explained. “There were a lot of Spanish-speaking kids. I actually had the opportunity to talk to three of them in the classroom in Spanish, so it was really sweet.”
Students were able to ask the athletes about their pro careers, and will soon get to see them play in person. On October 30, AU Pro Volleyball will host MMSD Night at Alliant Energy Center, where the Mad For Reading program will be celebrated.
“I think it’ll be cool, because we got to chat with them a little bit about what we do in professional volleyball,” Thompson said. “I think it could be one of those moments where it plants a seed in some of the young kids of like, ‘Oh, you know, maybe I could do that one day’…It was really special for us to be able to interact with them in their space. And I’m really excited for them to be able to come and see us in ours.”
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
