Press Release

“Be A Team Player-Read!” Contest

March 2012

On March 1, 2012 a local elementary school had an extra special story time with an unusual guest. Al Jefferson of the Utah Jazz came to read with the students, as part of the Utah Jazz “Be A Team Player-Read!” Contest.

The gym erupted with cheers and clapping as Jefferson took the stage and invited some of the students to help him read the story. After reading two books, Jefferson took questions from the students. The students were jumping out of their seats, straining to reach their arm the highest and ask a question.

“What’s your favorite color? What is your shoe size? How many pounds did you weigh when you were born? What’s your favorite food? What was your best moment in a game?” Kids laughed and cheered at the responses, showing their excitement to be interacting with an NBA player.

The “Be A Team Player-Read!” Contest is open to all elementary schools in the Salt Lake area. Students are given one month to read as many minutes as possible, and at the end of the month, the top ten schools with the most minutes read receive a visit from a member of the Utah Jazz.

This year the contest involved 24,600 kids and 38 schools. Students read a total of 18,000,000 minutes. Med One Group has sponsored this event for three years now, and is proud to support an event that encourages lifelong learning and literacy in children. We hope to participate in this great event for many years to come.