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\u201cIt sure puts smiles on their faces to see you there,\u201d says Tim Jones<\/strong>, a junior business administration major from Forestville, Maryland. \u201cI think it really shows the kids that people outside their school care about them and they know that. They tell us they\u2019re excited for us to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In teacher Lauren Smith<\/strong>\u2019s first-grade classroom, Jones takes one of four stations. Students rotate at 15-minute intervals, so he eventually sees all the students in the class. For free reading time, Jones says there\u2019s \u201ca bunch of books to pick from, but most of the time, they all pick the same book to read.\u201d Before winter break, that meant Jones had nearly memorized the popular choice, No, David!,<\/em> by David Shannon, about a little boy who is always breaking the rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Jones says his favorite book growing up was the Dr. Seuss classic, Green Eggs and Ham.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kobi Alexander<\/strong> remembers devouring Salt in His Shoes<\/em>: Michael Jordan in Pursuit of His Dream, <\/em>co-authored by the basketball star\u2019s mother, Deloris, and sister Roslyn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s about hard work and staying dedicated to your goals,\u201d Alexander said of the book\u2019s memorable themes. He thinks reading with kids shows that he values reading himself, especially for the way it grows one\u2019s vocabulary and \u201callows you to see things from multiple perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alexander, a sophomore business administration major from Madison, Virginia, has worked with children on the basketball court but not in the classroom. \u201cThis is all about helping people and caring for people and inspiring them,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a blessing to play college basketball so giving back to the community and putting smiles on kids\u2019 faces is really rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the record, the popular book among his students, at least in December, was any choice from a series involving Elephant and Piggie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Reading Royals program began this year under head coach Melvin Felix<\/strong>, who spent time at Waterman Elementary School while earning his master\u2019s degree. There, he received a warm reception from administrators, teachers and students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey were excited to see males as role models, and that was something I wanted my student-athletes to experience,\u201d Felix said. \u201cMy main goal is to have them understand they are role models, even if they think they\u2019re not or if they have no experience in that role. Kids will look up to them and I wanted my guys to experience that and have a positive influence in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2020\/01\/20191118-Reading-Royals-0006-848x1024.jpg\")
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