Read-In Week kicked off at Edmonton’s Richard Secord School on Monday, with the help of Edmonton Fire Rescue Services and Edmonton Oilers alum Chris Joseph.
The former hockey player turned firefighter read “Great Too,” a book about a young Wayne Gretzky working on his skills with his dad, Coach Wally.
“It’s great to be back to school, these kids are amazing. I listen to audiobooks and podcasts. I don’t read as much as I should, could you tell?” Joseph said while joking and talking to reporters after story time.
When asked if reading to kids made him nervous, he said: “It’s funny how you can play hockey in front of 18,000 people but get nervous when 20 kids are staring at you while you are reading to them.
“These kids are attentive, polite and reading a hockey book to them was a great experience. It is important for us to encourage reading for this age group. I think the kids like to maybe sometimes hear a different voice from the mom and dad, or the teacher, and see that somebody else likes to read as well.”
A fan of both hockey and reading, Gio Schaaban, a Grade 3 student, was excited to meet Joseph. “I love reading mystery books, the best part about it is that it makes you relaxed,” Gio said.
The Read-In Week initiative began in the 1990s to raise awareness for the importance of literacy. It is the 35th Read-In Week. The focus of this initiative has been to instill the love of reading in all Edmontonians.
Throughout the rest of the week, the school will host a number of themed reading days.