'Reading is the Goal' for Greentree Elementary students and the Anaheim Ducks

Greentree Elementary students took advantage of a pretty fortuitous power play last week, sharing their campus with representatives of the Anaheim Ducks for a daylong literacy celebration. “Reading is the Goal Day” was the name of the event that drew a flock of Ducks out to the Manzanita Avenue school, including left wing Matt Beleskey, right wing Devante Smith-Pelly, broadcaster Kent French, members of the Power Players squad and, of course, Wild Wing, the prominent-billed mascot. “It was so cool,” Principal Tamara Brown said, “I became a hockey fan.” Starting at around 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, Ducks staff members began visiting Greentree classrooms to read stories, field questions and discuss the importance of literacy. The day wrapped up with a 45-minute assembly for a sea of orange fourth- and fifth-graders, featuring Beleskey and Smith-Pelly. Naturally, there was some hockey in between. During lunch, students had an opportunity to play street hockey on the playground thanks to the Anaheim Ducks Street Team, which set up a pair of rinks and provided personnel to man them. “There was so much excitement and enthusiasm around here,” Principal Brown told the NewsFlash afterward. “It was just electrifying. And there were people here from all parts of the organization, from food services to H.R. to P.R., all talking about how important reading is in their jobs. Our kids were just ecstatic.” Reading is the Goal Day is an annual component of the Ducks’ S.C.O.R.E. program -- the acronym stands for Scholastic Curriculum of Recreation and Education -- which was created to reward students for their time spent reading within a 30-day period. Greetreen has participated in the S.C.O.R.E. program since its inception in 2005-06. For hosting Thursday’s celebration, the school was presented with a framed jersey signed by the entire Ducks team, books for the school library and street hockey equipment.