Jazz player encourages students to keep reading

Courtesy photo/Saint Olaf School

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BOUNTIFUL — Devin Harris, Utah Jazz NBA All-Star point guard, scored a big surprise for students at Saint Olaf School on March 1. Students gathered in the gym for an ordinary assembly. The question on all their minds was, "What is going on?" as television media arrived. When Principal Nancy Emery stepped to the microphone, and Harris was introduced as their reward for being one of the 12 schools in the state to have a Jazz player visit them as winners of the Jazz Read-a-thon Contest, the stunned students cheered loudly. The Jazz All-Star congratulated them for reading a combined total of 188,882 minutes during February.

Several students helped Harris read two books to the audience, and then he opened the floor for questions. Harris, who is noted for his speed and ability on the court, showed equal agility in answering students’ questions about topics such as the most points he has scored in a game (47), and his favorite subject when he was a student (math).

He also was asked whether he was skipping practice to attend the assembly, and he answered that practice had been earlier in the morning. Students laughed as he asked, "Are you missing school to be here?"

Harris told the audience that basketball is magic to him, and that they should always strive to do what is magic for them. He said he has a secret desire to be a center, but at his age it’s not likely he will grow tall enough to be successful in that position. His most difficult duty as a point guard is to make certain everyone on the team is in the correct position and that he is doing his own job on the floor. The L.A. Lakers are the biggest rivals for the Jazz, he said.

Students participated in the Jazz contest by keeping a log of their extracurricular reading minutes each week. They were encouraged to read books of their own choice. Each week the class with the highest percent of participation was recognized. Students who were the top three readers in each class wore medals for the week. At the end of the contest, the third grade was the overall winner; Ashley Cluff was the student who read the most minutes.

All students received an ice cream treat and a signed photo of Harris.

This is the 10th year that Saint Olaf has participated in the Jazz Read-a-thon Contest, and the fourth time to be rewarded with a visit from a Jazz player.

Story and photo courtesy of Saint Olaf School