Suns Announce 2008 "Casey Challenge" Schedule
Published on April 8, 2008 under Southern League (SL1)
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp News Release
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville Suns' annual "Casey Challenge" event will begin on Tuesday, April 8. Suns President Peter Bragan, Jr., will visit numerous First Coast schools through the beginning of May, reciting the popular baseball poem "Casey at the Bat" as part of the Suns' ongoing "Catch Reading Fever" program.
Bragan, Jr., begins his presentation with a stern lecture on the importance of reading. A Suns staff member follows with a short story which uses challenging vocabulary. Bragan, Jr., quizzes the students on their comprehension and awards prizes. Then he recites "Casey at the Bat" and proposes his annual challenge: If a child can memorize the entire poem, Bragan, Jr., will reward them with a Suns replica jersey or a genuine Louisville Slugger bat. The children are encouraged to study and learn the classic poem to expose them to the joys of reading. Southpaw often accompanies Bragan, Jr., at the schools.
"This is the one program I'm most proud of," Bragan, Jr., said. "I do it to honor Miss Sparks, my third-grade teacher. On the playground, she'd grab me by the ear and insist I read my books. She inspired me to become a voracious reader."
The premise of the "Catch Reading Fever" campaign is to encourage the importance of reading and to strengthen reading comprehension to fifth-graders. The Suns' signature community program reaches approximately 2,500 students a year and has affected more than 40,000 Jacksonville area elementary school children since its inception.
The Casey Challenge began in 1989 when Bragan read at Brown Elementary School. The program began at the insistence of Carolyn Kantor, then the Duval County director of media specialists. Kantor, now the principal at Timucuana Elementary, helped start a tradition. Now, some of the first schoolchildren who memorized the poem years ago have children of their own who could face the Casey Challenge soon.
"The first time I went to Brown, I was scared to death," Bragan, Jr. said. "But 16 years later, the Casey Challenge has become one of the highlights of my year."
Catch Reading Fever also extends to Reading Day. The Suns motivate kids to read by offering a free ticket to the game, held this year on Sunday, May 18. If children read 10 books before then, their bookmark serves as an admissible ticket.
The remainder of the Casey Challenge schedule, with contact information, follows on the next page.
2008 Casey Challenge schedule
Date Day Time School Phone
April 8, 2008 Tuesday 9:00 Loretto Elementary 260-5800
10:15 Crown Point Elementary 260-5808
11:30 Mandarin Oaks Elem. 260-5820
April 10, 2008 Thursday 9:00 Stockton Elementary 381-3959
10:15 Ortega Elementary 381-7460
11:30 Cedar Hills Elementary 573-1050
April 15, 2008 Tuesday 9:00 Normandy Village Elem. 693-7548
10:15 Oak Hill Elementary 573-1030
11:30 Venetia Elementary 381-3990
April 17, 2008 Thursday 9:00 Finegan Elementary 247-5996x105
10:15 Sabal Palm Elementary 221-7169
11:30 Kernan Trail Elementary 220-1310
April 22, 2008 Tuesday 9:00 Twin Lakes Elementary 538-0328
10:15 Jacksonville Beach Elem. 247-5942
11:30 Neptune Beach Elem. 247-5954
April 24 Thursday 9:00 Central Riverside Elem. 381-7495
10:15 Hendricks Ave. Elem. 346-5610
11:30 Pine Forest Elementary 346-5600
April 29 Tuesday 9:00 Greenfield Elementary 739-5249
10:15 Love Grove Elementary 720-1645
11:30 Hogan-Spring Glen Elem. 720-1640
May 1 Thursday 9:00 Sheffield Elementary
10:15 Oceanway Elementary 696-8762
May 2 Friday 9:00 Holiday Hill Elementary
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