New York,
NY (March
29,
2004) --
What do a basketball player, a Revolutionary War widow and the President of the United States have in common? According to 10-year-old Jake Bernstein, they all need to be great team players. Bernstein, a fourth grader at Meramec Elementary School in St. Louis, MO, authored the essay, “The Supreme Dream Team Player Theme” to win The Scholastic Book Clubs/NBA Teamwork Writing Contest and an all-expense paid trip to a hometown Houston Rockets game. An avid basketball fan, Bernstein, who has never been to an NBA game, will also meet the Rockets' superstar center Yao Ming. In a surprising twist, Bernstein did not choose to write about an athlete as his “team player” role model, but rather, he described the dedication of a Revolutionary War widow, Molly Hays McCauley (Molly Pitcher), who supported the soldiers and tended to the wounded during the country's fight for independence.
Houston Rockets' superstar Yao Ming teamed up with Scholastic Book Clubs, a division of Scholastic, the global children's publishing and media company, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) to create
The Scholastic Book Clubs/ NBA Teamwork Writing Contest, encouraging kids to read and write and promoting teamwork on and off the court. Students in Scholastic Arrow Book Club (grades 4-6) were asked to write an essay of 500 words or less answering three questions:
What does it mean to be on a team? What qualities make a person a good team player? and
What public figure is a great “team player” role model and why? Four thousand entries were judged on content, creativity, structure and presentation.
In his winning essay, Jake Bernstein, who plays basketball in the local community team, revealed insight beyond his years about the meaning of teamwork, elaborating on the importance of respect, recognition, selflessness and commitment. “All members of the team contribute equally towards the purpose or goal of the team,” he wrote, adding, “sometimes it may appear that there are individual stars that carry the team, but the reality is the whole team supports each other.” He concluded, “From members of Congress to a high school basketball team or a fourth grade classroom, the focus should be on improving the team's performance and working towards the group's mission and achieving growth and success.”
“Our mission is to encourage children to become skilled readers and writers and help them learn important life lessons, such as the value of practice and teamwork,” said Judy Newman, Senior Vice President, Scholastic Book Clubs. “Jake Bernstein's essay not only shows a deep appreciation of teamwork, but it also reveals his passion for writing.”
After his trip to Houston, Jake will write an original article about his experience for publication on YaoMing.net and NBA.com and in Scholastic News, America's leading news source for kids that is read by more than four million students and their teachers.
Yao Ming, the Houston Rocket's all-star center, exploded onto the NBA scene last season after being drafted #1 in the 2002 NBA draft. He is now the subject of a new paperback
Scholastic NBA Reader that describes his life growing up in Shanghai, China. The book chronicles his journey to America, his number one selection in the NBA draft and his whirlwind year of awards, media attention, and superstardom.
The Teamwork Writing Contest is part of the NBA's on-going involvement in Read to Achieve, a year-round program that engages sports professionals in the effort to help young people develop a life-long love of reading and to encourage adults to read regularly to children.
“We are excited that we teamed up with Scholastic for this unique literacy incentive,” said Charlie Rosenzweig, Vice President of Entertainment and Player Marketing, NBA. “Yao Ming is a great role model for today's youth and through this program we hope that we were able to motivate students to read, write and practice teamwork in the classroom and on the court.”
For 55 years, Scholastic Book Clubs have provided monthly catalogues offering top quality books and reading materials from all publishers to teachers in pre-school through junior high. Today, eleven different Scholastic Book Clubs reach one million teachers each month, providing the most sought-after titles at affordable prices for children in classrooms nationwide.
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries, and television networks; and the Company's Internet Site,
www.scholastic.com.
Read to Achieve is a year-round program to help young people develop a life-long love for reading and encourage adults to read regularly to children. Reaching an estimated 50 million children a year, Read to Achieve is the most extensive educational outreach initiative in the history of professional sports. Efforts include the annual donation of more than 350,000 books through a variety of reading events and book fairs, as well as the development of essay contests and on-line programs. In addition to being supported by all NBA teams, WNBA teams and the National Basketball Development League (NBDL), Read to Achieve is supported by the NBA's officials, parents and wives of players organizations, and the NBA Players Association and Retired Players Association.