Monday, June 29, 2009

MEDIA ADVISORY -- NEA's Read Across America Hooks Up With Padres

Reporters and editors: The following is a news release from the National
Education Assocation on a great event tomorrow at Petco Park that
matches up members of the Padres, students from Tierrasanta Elementary
and other schools, and teachers from all over the country. For
information, contact NEA's Staci Maiers at the phone number below.

Jack Brandais
Communications Department
San Diego Unified School District
(619) 607-0477 (cell)
(619) 725-5570 (desk)

_______________

NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION MEDIA ADVISORY FOR June 30, 2009

CONTACT: Staci Maiers, NEA (202) 270-5333 cell, smaiers@nea.org

Attention: News Assignment/Photo Editors excellent visuals, photos &
b-roll opportunities

San Diego Padres get into the game of reading on June 30
NEA's Read Across America encourages local students to celebrate summer
reading

SAN DIEGO-Showing kids that reading can be just as much fun as a day at
the ballpark, San Diego Padres players Edgar Gonzalez and Kevin
Kouzmanoff will trade their baseball caps for reading hats to encourage
hundreds of schoolchildren to read over the lazy, hazy, crazy days of
summer.

The players will read to the children, while stylishly sporting the red
and white stovepipe hat worn by the Cat in the Hat, the official mascot
of NEA's Read Across America literacy program. Students from Tierrasanta
Elementary in San Diego and Rich and Rogers Elementary in Chula Vista
will take part in the event at PETCO Park on Tuesday, June 30, at 11:30
a.m. The Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2 will also join the fun!

Across San Diego at 36 participating libraries, bilingual readings in
Spanish as well as several Asian languages also will be on the reading
menu to spark some summertime reading inspiration.

WHO: Edgar Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff of the San Diego Padres
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel
Hundreds of local schoolchildren
Children's literacy experts
Thing 1, Thing 2 and the Cat in the Hat, courtesy of Dr. Seuss
Enterprises, L.D.

WHAT: Padres players will read with hundreds of local schoolchildren
to encourage good summer reading habits. To get everyone into the game
of reading, the 36 branch libraries of the San Diego Public Library
system will be hosting read-ins throughout the San Diego area. For a
complete list of participating libraries, visit www.nea.org/readacross.

WHEN: Reading hits PETCO Park Tuesday, June 30, at 11:30 a.m.

WHERE: San Diego Padres PETCO Park
100 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA
Enter through the East Village Gate at 10th Avenue and K Street

BACKGROUND
NEA's Read Across America encourages summer reading to help tackle
student achievement gaps that grow exponentially during the summer
months, especially among minority and economically disadvantaged
students. The literacy program encourages youngsters to develop a
healthy appetite of books by making reading fun.

The baseball-themed summer read-ins provide a preview to one of the
largest conventions to arrive in San Diego in recent years. Nearly
10,000 delegates from across the country will be in town July 1-July 6
for NEA's Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly...bringing an
estimated $35 million to the local economy.

**Special guests subject to change depending on availability.**

# # #
The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional
employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary
teachers, higher education faculty, educational support professionals,
school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to
become teachers.
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