April 21, 2006

Columbia, SC – The South Carolina women’s basketball team visited Columbia’s Meadowfield Elementary School Friday to honor Meadowfield for winning the “Let’s Read with the Gamecocks” reading program this season, as the school’s 294 participants ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade read more than 129,000 pages.

As winners of the reading program, the students of Meadowfield scrimmaged with the Gamecocks in addition to a meet and greet where the players signed autographs. The Gamecocks’ Brionna Dickerson and Ebony Jones addressed the crowd on the importance of reading and education.

“Reading and education are important for all ages on all levels and your education can take you anywhere you want to go,” Dickerson said.

Meadowfield’s top readers Kyle Larson and Celina Scarborough were asked what they liked about reading.

“I just enjoy it, reading is fun” replied Larson.

“I am so excited that the Gamecocks are here,” Scarborough said. “I read because it is exercise for my brain so I can read more and more.”

The students at Meadowfield welcomed the Gamecocks in grand fashion with a gymnasium full of loud cheers.

On winning the Reading Contest four out of the last five years, Paula Stevens, Meadowfield Elementary Principal said, “Our goal is to win each year. The Gamecock reading program helps to motivate us to read and gives us a tangible connection with USC Athletics. This visit serves as a nice reward for our students’ hard work and gives our reading efforts a substantial purpose. The students at Meadowfield are driven by their desire and motivation. We are so excited and appreciate this visit.”

The Gamecocks combined to produce a team-record grade-point average of 3.34 during the Spring, 2005 semester and placed a league-high eight players on the 2006 Southeastern Conference Winter Sports Academic Honor Roll.