Role Model Reading Kicks Off at Carl Sandburg Elementary

Year two of Role Model Reading kicked off Monday morning at Carl Sandburg Elementary, as MMSD welcomed Badger athletes from the football and National Champion women’s hockey team.

“There’s such a correlation between success in school and the ability to read,” Greg Gillum, Wisconsin Football Chief of Staff said. “It’s really great for our players to get out in the elementaries and express the importance of reading.”

As part of the initiative, UW student-athletes visit different MMSD schools weekly to spread the joy of reading. In each session the student-athletes come prepared with free books MMSD students take home, and spend 30-40 minutes reading along with the students they’re visiting.

“Carl Sandburg loves when student-athletes come to visit our classes, because it gives my class something to look forward to,” 2nd Grade Teacher Dani Norman said while football players read to her students. “Our students really look up to these players, so it’s awesome that they can spend some of their time inspiring our youngest learners and demonstrating why reading is so great.”

This year students are reading “The Hog Mollies and Quincy’s Quest for Quiet”, a story about how a quiet day of reading for Quincy turns into a fun day with friends.

“The Hog Mollies” is a series written by the 2nd & 7 Foundation – a non-profit organization founded by head football coach Luke Fickell and his former Ohio State teammates Ryan Miller and Mike Vrabel. Through “The Hog Mollies” and student-athletes, the visit helps promote the love of reading and inspire students across the district.

This year’s program will reach all eight of MMSD’s full-service Community Schools: Hawthorne, John F. Kennedy, Lake View, Aldo Leopold, Mendota, Orchard Ridge, Carl Sandburg and Lori Mann Carey.

“When coach Fickell started this back in 1999 he had a real passion to get out into the community,” Gillum said. “There’s so many kids that might not have a book at home, so this gives them a chance to take a book home, have their parents read it to them and develop a love for reading.”

Role Model Reading also aligns more broadly with MMSD’s Mad for Reading program, underscoring the district's commitment to literacy as the foundation of student success.

The 2025–26 Role Model Reading Program runs through May 10, with student-athletes scheduled to visit on Mondays.