The Adair County High School Football team visited Adair County Elementary School Monday morning to deliver handwritten letters to students in Debbie Bradshaw’s third grade reading class. Bradshaw’s students—as part of their instruction on how to write letters—had previously sent their own correspondence to the football players.
“They sent letters to the football players so instead of just sending letters back we’re hand delivering them,” head coach Clay Stephens says. “It’s a good way to connect with the younger students and remind everybody that we’re all Indians. They’ll get a chance to meet with the players and talk to them and ask them questions.”
Bradshaw says the project fits perfectly with her class’s section on letter writing. “They have to write letters, so we wrote to people who would actually see them,” Bradshaw says. “It’s a chance for them to encourage other students in the district.”
The players appeared as excited to meet their young fans as the third graders were to meet the team. “It’s great because they kind of look at us as role models,” says senior Jacob Doss. “Hopefully we can inspire them and help them build their leadership skills.”
Bradshaw’s classes spent three weeks learning how to write letters and composing their messages to the team. Stephens said his players wrote their letters before Friday night’s game at Edmonson County. The third graders also bagged candy for the team prior to last week’s game, and plan on continuing their involvement with the football program throughout the season. “We’ll be doing different things with them depending on what our lessons are about,” Bradshaw says.
By Wes Feese
Media Relations, Adair County Schools
