BATON ROUGE, La. – Everybody knows about field day. It’s the one-day in school that elementary students get the chance to play and compete in multiple games all day long. On Friday, April 22, LSU student-athletes and Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes staff members had the opportunity to re-live their “playground hero” days by participating in field day at University Terrace Elementary.
The event allows the student-athletes to interact with members of the community, and provide support in development to the youth. This is essential to the members of the CCACSA being that the center holds has a motto that says, “Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve.”
The Shaquille O’Neal Life Skills program and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) came together and agreed that this would be good event to serve the community. These groups along with the rest of the student-athletes worked close with elementary school representatives to help coordinate and facilitate the field day events. The staff members of the elementary school expressed how much it meant to them to have the Shaquille O’Neal Life Skills program and student-athletes at field day.
“It shows the kids that people just like them, who come from places just like them, don’t forget about the students,” said elementary teacher Tanme Jones. “They come to give back to the community, and encourage the students to have fun, do their work, and live a productive life.”
The field day experience is certainly one of a kind, and is growing each year. Members of the University Terrace Elementary School staff enjoyed the participation of the student-athletes, and said that the student-athletes offer a big helping hand.
“Last year was our first year with LSU student-athletes helping out and conducting field day for us. Afterwards, the students were so excited,” University Terrace Elementary Principal, Pamela Marshall said. “They love the activity and the input of the players that came by, so we decided to do it again this year.”
The Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes is a 54,000 square foot facility comprised of an academic affairs, student affairs and an information technology team, serving more than 530 student-athletes. The purpose is to provide an all-inclusive, student-centered support structure for all student-athletes from matriculation, through graduation and life beyond.