Pinckney Elementary School Honored By Kansas Women's Basketball
April 29, 2011
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
The Kansas women’s basketball team, Big Jay and several members of the Spirit Squad took part in a special school assembly at PinckneyElementary School in Lawrence Friday afternoon. The Jayhawks presented Pinckney with the “Schools for Success” Elementary School Challenge award.
“Schools for Success” is a program developed by Kansas Athletics made possible by the NCAA Women’s Basketball Grant Program. The grant was awarded to Kansas Athletics in 2009 for the purpose of increasing awareness and attendance for KU Women’s Basketball.
“This is the second year we have had the `Schools for Success’ program and both years have been highly successful,” said Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson. “Our players had the opportunity to get out in the community and build relationships with the students and faculty. In turn they showed us great support and we greatly appreciate that.”
The Elementary School Attendance Challenge was a friendly competition between 15 Lawrence schools to have the highest percentage attendance rate at home KU Women’s Basketball games during the 2010-11 season. The school with the highest rate of attendance at the end of the season, which was Pinckney, was awarded a $5,000 stipend to use to their discretion. Second place finisher Schwegler Elementary was given $3,000, while third place finisher Hillcrest, last year’s winner, was awarded $2,000.
Kansas Athletics provided an admission card to each student in the K-6th grade which allowed free admission at the gate to all home games. In addition, the card could be presented at the KU ticket office to receive a $3 ticket for family and friends and $2 Nesquik Lowfat Chocolate Milk or Regular Milk. They may also present the card at the Lawrence Jason’s Deli to receive a free kids meal.
Each elementary was adopted by a member of the KU Women’s Basketball team, who visited her adopted school to meet the students, read, eat lunch, play at recess, and provide a positive role model for the kids in the community. Pinckney Elementary School’s adopted player was sophomore guard Angel Goodrich, who was honored by the school on Friday afternoon.
“I’m really excited that my school won the competition,” said Goodrich, who led the Big 12 and ranked sixth nationally in assists last season. “The support they showed us at our games was exciting. They did a great job of not only supporting me, but our whole team. I am looking forward seeing if we can join together to win this competition again next season.”
