The Juanita High School Football team has kicked off the first year of a new reading program with elementary schools in the Lake Washington School District.

The “Reading Rebels” program, started by first year Juanita head football coach Lele Te’o, has football players visiting seven elementary schools in the Juanita Learning Community, schools that feed into JHS, every Wednesday afternoon before football practice. The high school players read with a group or with individual students.

As part of the program, the elementary students are encouraged to keep a reading log. When they read for 30 minutes a night for five days in a row they get their name placed in a drawing where the winner will be named honorary captain to represent the Rebels during their homecoming game on Oct. 30 and get their names announced before the game. They will get a Rebels t-shirt and also get a picture with the football team. Those who read 15 days in a row will get their name in the drawing three times.

The program is a part of an overall outreach to the elementary schools, with field activities held earlier in the year.

Te’o said that he had wanted to install the program for a while and he was afforded the opportunity when he became head coach earlier this year.

“We have the athletic piece, we need an academic piece,” Te’o said. “I feel like our guys need to see outside themselves and to serve their community.”

Te’o said the reading program is a chance for the football players to provide positive mentoring for younger students in the district who eventually will attend JHS.

“It is a great time for players to be able to experience working with kids and that they’re looked up to by kids in the community. It’s been a fun deal,” Te’o said. “Our players have had an amazing time going down there and seeing the kids. They get to serve the kids, but they also got a lot back. A lot of kids don’t know the impact they have on those youngsters…that a lot of people in community do look up to them and think highly of them.”

Te’o said they plan to hold the program annually.

“We had some kids ask if they could read more than 30 minutes a night,” he said. “The kids are really excited. The biggest piece of it is it reminds guys they’re still kids and it wasn’t that long ago, and it goes fast and you have to appreciate the time you have.”

The Lake Washington High School football program held their own community event in early September, engaging in a one-day safety patrol in the Lake Washington Learning Community by escorting the students to and from their respective schools. They also had a community night featuring a game/scrimmage with the Junior Kang program.

“We are always looking for other ways to give back to the community,” Lake Washington High School head football coach AJ Parnell wrote in an email. “It is great for our student/athletes to learn about servant leadership and actually put it into practice.”