Norwich participates in Read Across America program

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – For the second straight year, Norwich University baseball players travelled to nearby Williamstown Elementary School to help local schoolchildren celebrate Read Across America Day on Wednesday, March 7.

Each player was assigned to a grade level from kindergarten to fifth grade. They read a Dr. Seuss story, discussed the book, and talked a little about themselves and the kinds of books they like to read now or when they were younger. The elementary students were free to ask questions of the readers and the players talked about such topics as their major, college life and athletics.

“I think that it’s really important for the players to get out and do activities like Read Across America in our local communities,” said NU head coach John Rhoades. “I’m proud of these players for taking the time to help spread the word of how important and fun reading can be as well as answering questions about themselves.”

The Norwich players that participated were seniors Corey Shearer (Montague, Mass./Turner Falls), Seth Knihtila (Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional) and Don DiBastiani (White Hall, Md./North Hartford), juniors Ben Kleiner (Chesire, Mass./Cheshire) and Jonathan Philbrook (Rochester, Mass./Old Colony), sophomore Devin Cilley (Tunbridge, Vt./South Royalton) and freshmen Jordan Britton (Haverhill, Mass./Whittier Technical), Craig Leverone (Lexington, Mass./Minuteman Technical) and Brandon Place (Concord, N.H./Concord).