OM Athletes Support “Be A Champion and Read”

Oxford Middle School sixth graders participating in reading contest 

Members of the Oxford Middle School cheerleading squad pose with Rebel. Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Communiciations

OXFORD, Miss. – Members of the Ole Miss softball team, along with football ‘s Assistant Athletic Director for Player Development Tom Luke, academic counselor Angela Mirabito and Rebel, helped the Oxford Middle School sixth graders kick off the “Be A Champion and Read Contest” on Monday (Sept. 9).

The contest is sponsored by the Mississippi Association of Educators and is encouraging sixth-grade students to get excited about reading. Students are encouraged to read six age-appropriate books by Nov. 1 and will be entered into a drawing to win tickets to the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State and an opportunity to go on the field during the pre-game activities.

Students are participating statewide in the competition which is aimed to be a competition between Ole Miss and Mississippi State. One middle school student will represent Ole Miss and another student will represent Mississippi State.

Oxford Middle School Librarian, Wendy Daughdrill, really appreciated the turnout by the Ole Miss Athletics department.

“We are really grateful that the Ole Miss athletic department was able to come and help us encourage our students to read,” said Daughdrill. “I could tell when the softball players were speaking, it was making a difference. It really makes a difference when the students can see someone they look up to, who’s accomplished so much, tell them to read. We have pep rallies to celebrate other things so it was neat to have one to encourage students to read.”

The mission of Ole Miss’ Rebel Ready Program is to challenge the student-athletes to be lifelong learners while pursuing continuous improvement academically, relationally, socially, personally, and professionally during and beyond their careers as student-athletes.

Rebel Ready is the hub for a wide range of Ole Miss Athletics sponsored programs designed to meet the needs of student-athletes and their families. It is divided into six areas: Student-Athlete Assistance Services, Career Development, Continuing Education, Community Outreach, Financial Education and Career Transition.

Visit the website for more information on Ole Miss’ Rebel Ready program.

— Jessica Poole, Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations