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Justin Perkins '03 and Ronnie Goines '05 act out a scene from a book during "story time." PHOTOGRAPHS BY JON R. MACDONALD |
Men’s Basketball Team Spends Winter Term Off the Court
Chris Ipkoh '04 helps a "story time" participant design a hand puppet.
JANUARY 11, 2001--The Oberlin College men's basketball team will be putting in practice time on the hardwood and quality time at local schools and libraries during January. Team members have planned a series of activities designed to give back to the younger members of Oberlin's community. The project, developed by Jason Carrington, is part of the team's Winter Term project.
Carrington, a senior from the Bronx, New York, and a student assistant with the basketball team, views spending time with Oberlin's children as an investment in the future.
"What impressions can we, as college basketball players and role models,make on future generations if we spend some time with a few kids today?" Carrington asks.
"There are a lot of negative pressures that kids face as they grow," Carrington says. "The people that kids can look to as positive role models often leave and go off to college. We plan to step in as replacement role models for the kids in Oberlin; kind of like a role model exchange program."
The team's month-long project includes several different activities. They plan to read to children during the Oberlin Public Library's weekly story time and engage them in arts and crafts activities following the stories. Eastwood Elementary students will have the opportunity to spend time with the team, too; Carrington has arranged for weekly story sessions with the elementary school students. Team members also will hold a seminar on college athletics for local high school students at the end of the month.
Carrington says the seminar is a great way to end a month of fun-filled activities with Oberlin residents.
"The seminar will allow team members to speak about their experiences as college athletes and what they think it takes to succeed as a college athlete. We plan to have an open panel discussion, too, so that high school athletes can ask team members questions. This is a phenomenal opportunity for everyone involved."
Team member Chris Ikpoh, a sophomore from Michigan City, Indiana, agrees that giving back to the community is important.
"I see a lot of parents and children cheering for us at our games, and I feel like we should be giving something back to them," Ikpoh says. "What could be better for them than taking a little time today to invest in their future?"
If you would like more information about the upcoming seminar, please contact the Oberlin College men’s basketball staff at 440-775-8507.
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Ben Alschuler '04 reads to children at the Oberlin Public Library during the weekly "story time." |
Please send comments, questions, and suggestions about Oberlin Online news and feature articles to online.news@oberlin.edu.
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