May 22, 2008 11:50 AM
The New York Knicks Groove Truck — a basketball clinic on wheels offering skill competitions, free-throw and 3-point shooting contests, video game tournaments and cool Knicks prizes — rolled into Bensonhurst’s PS 101 on May 7. The visit was a reward for the school’s active and highly successful six-month participation in the Knicks and Cablevision-sponsored Read to Achieve Program. “This program has done a great job motivating our kids to read,” said Gary Kane, the school’s physical education director and “point man” with the Knicks’ program. “They’re so excited to find out that reading can be fun. That’s just the discovery they need! Everyone worked hard, even on their own free time, to make it work. The Knicks Groove Truck was the icing on the cake. I hope to use this program again next year.” PS 101 is one of a few Brooklyn schools that participated in the Read to Achieve Program, but teachers and students alike feel that they scored big with their commitment. “It is designed to help students develop a life-long love of reading,” Chapter Leader Susan Lascher said. “Our participating classes received classroom libraries, T-shirts, posters, pencils and other incentives. We appreciate the donations, but are even more thrilled that the program supports our school’s focus on instilling the joy of reading in our children.”