Student-Athletes Visit Tulip Grove Elementary for Career Day
4/23/2008 8:00:00 AM | The Barry & Mary Gossett Center for Acad
April 18, 2008
Article submitted by Jenny Collins
On April 18th, 2008 Maryland student-athletes Jenny Collins, women's lacrosse and Jason Herrick, men's soccer, traveled to Tulip Grove Elementary in Bowie, MD for the school's annual career day. They spent an exciting day with second and third grade students from Tulip Grove, discussing the importance of education, athletics and physical activity, good nutrition, leadership and teamwork.
The students were very interested to learn about Jason's experiences with soccer and what it was like for Jenny to grow up playing lacrosse. Collins also talked to the students about the importance of setting goals in life and working hard to reach them. During a presentation, a student asked to try catching a lacrosse ball after watching a demonstration, which then lead to the entire class taking a turn at the skill. "I loved that the students wanted to try out the skills and learn the stick tricks-especially the girls", commented Jenny Collins, a junior kinesiology major.
All of the students couldn't wait to learn more about soccer and share their own unique athletic experiences with Jason. "It was great to see the excitement all of the students had for being active and participating", says Collins. A third grade girl even volunteered to show her class a fake she had learned at a previous soccer practice. "Seeing their faces light up and hearing them say `cool' when they saw me dribbling a soccer ball made me feel that Jenny and I will have a huge impact on their lives", says Jason Herrick, a sophomore pre business major.
In a reflection on his visit, which included a question and answer session with each group, Jason Herrick, remarked that the students were "very curious about all aspects of our lives, soaking up all the information we gave them". Both students felt that visiting the school was enriching both to them and the students and they are eager to return next year.
