CLEVELAND — Basketball team members at Daniel E. Morgan K-8 School in Cleveland have been championing their literacy initiative, The Book is Higher than the Ball.
News 5 has talked a lot about the need to help kids become better readers.
We have reported on efforts to close the gap in literacy rates caused by the pandemic’s impact on learning.
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Governor Mike DeWine even began a special initiative two years ago to try and fix the problem across Ohio.
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Data shows districts are making progress. Ohio's 2024 school report cards showed English Language Arts proficiency rose among elementary students: about 2% among third graders, about 5% among fourth graders, and about 3% among fifth graders.
However, the work is far from over, which makes what a group of Cleveland students is doing even more important.
They are making literacy a team sport and hoping to use the attention of the NCAA tournament at Rocket Arena in Cleveland to raise awareness about their literacy campaign.
"I like basketball because I like to learn new things," said Inari Stegall, a 7th grader at Daniel E. Morgan. "I like to try new opportunities, and it’s a great chance to make new friends and new teammates."
Basketball is more than a game. You see it on display right now during the NCAA Tournament and in the power of players—of all ages.
This week, the Cleveland Cavaliers hosted an all-girls youth clinic in celebration of Women’s History Month.
Among the dozens of young women participating in the event and improving their skills were members of the Daniel E. Morgan middle school basketball team, making history themselves.
"My team is like a really special team," smiled Inari. "I’m glad to have them as my team.”
News 5 Anchor Katie Ussin visited the team on their home court to learn about their important initiative called "The Book is Higher than the Ball."
"The Book is Higher than the Ball because education is best," said Inari. "Education is key."
"You have to be a student first and an athlete second," said Aliahionna Canada, another 7th grader at Daniel E. Morgan. "If you don't have an education, then you won't get anywhere in life."
The idea for the literacy campaign came from Tim Roberts, a longtime coach who's volunteered with this team for two years now.
"We created [The Book is Higher than the Ball] simply because literacy is a major, major concern all across the country," said Roberts.
He said the team has a collective GPA of 3.3.
"That means our girls are doing some outstanding work in the classroom," he said.
Coach Roberts said the initiative has inspired the players to help each other continue to reach higher in the classroom while also being mentors for others.
The girls use their positions as players to elevate the message of the literacy campaign, becoming role models for younger students at their school.
Not just through athletics but academics.
"We get to teach them about new things like tutoring," said Inari. "We get to tutor the little kids, or we get to read them books and teach them how to read and do new things."
"Our young people have to understand that education and literacy brings value to who they are and gives them a chance to change the trajectory of themselves and the community in which they live," said Roberts.
The Lady Eagles are soaring both on and off the court.
The team challenged athletes and coaches of all sports to embrace the message. They hope to make it a movement, asking players and teams to post photos of themselves with a book and a ball, track cleats or whatever their sport is, and share it online with the hashtag: The Book is Higher than the Ball.
Roberts said he’s so proud of his girls and can’t wait to see how high they fly.
"I plan on being at their high school graduation, their college graduation, and when they even receive their PhD's," said Roberts. "That’s the key to this whole movement.”
