Members of the University at Albany football team visited Sand Creek Middle School classrooms for Read Across America Week. 

The Great Danes met with several classes, reading stories with students and engaging in conversations about their college studies, their experiences playing football, and the different paths that led them to attend UAlbany. The visit gave students a chance to connect with positive role models and learn more about life as a student-athlete. They even got to ask players questions about their dreams, aspirations to go pro, and what their favorite order is from Chipotle. 

“They were fantastic,” said Kelly Colvin (Barkevich), the Sand Creek Special Education teacher who helped coordinate the visit. “The feedback from our staff and students was amazing. The players were polite, respectful, and wonderful with the kids, and it’s clear this is an experience our students will be talking about for a long time.”

The visit was a great reminder that reading can bring people together at any age – and that you’re never too old to open up a good book and get lost in a story.