Video to Encourage Reading Features Olympic Medalist

Inglewood Unified School District officials want to make reading hip so they have enlisted the help of Olympic gold medalist and Morningside High School graduate Lisa Leslie to create a videotape that will be aired in schools and around the community this year.

The Inglewood Reading Champion video was filmed shortly after Leslie brought home the gold with her teammates on the U.S. women’s basketball team. Inglewood Supt. McKinley Nash said basketball is a well-liked sport among students, so officials wanted to link reading to the sport to make it more popular.

“The intent is to make reading a desirable thing,” Nash said. “Lisa appeals to children because she is a star. She makes points, she reads and she shows that reading is not for nerds.”

Inglewood schools use phonics, a method of sounding out letters and letter combinations, to teach students how to read.

Nash said the use of phonics has improved reading comprehension in the district. He said students have shown an average gain of 12 months in their level of letter and word recognition.

Leslie, who just signed a two-year contract with the newly created Women’s National Basketball Association, narrates the video. Not only does she discuss the use of phonics in the district, she also encourages students to keep reading.

“The video is meant to show people the success we are having with reading programs in the district,” said school board member Thomasina Reed.

“We were honored that Lisa could help out since she is a well-known role model.”