Warriors at school to spread the words

Warriors winger Manu Vatuvei reads with Melissa. Photo / Dean Purcell

Enthusiasm is contagious, especially when it comes from a child's rugby league hero.

Children from Ranui School went home with new zest for reading after spending time with Warrior and NRL star Manu Vatuvei at Waitakere Library yesterday afternoon.

Vatuvei told the children it was important to learn to read and write whether you wanted to become a lawyer, doctor or league player.

As a winger for the Vodafone Warriors, he was required to read training schedules and to write performance reports.

"My parents came to New Zealand straight from the islands and they couldn't read to me, so it's a really special thing to be able to share reading with kids," he said.

Chris Kell, a Year 4 and 5 teacher at Ranui School, said it was important for the children to hear someone like Vatuvei tell them about the benefits of reading as many did not get that reinforced at home.

He said his class had thoroughly enjoyed the day and he hoped they would become better readers because of it.

The Warriors Rugby League Reads programme aims to show kids that "reading is cool" and improve the literacy levels of 7- to 9-year-olds, encouraging them to learn the valuable life skills of reading and writing at an age when reading can become difficult.

More than 500 Auckland students in Year 4 and 5 entered the Reads programme annual competition.

Ranui School was one of the eight winning schools.

The Year 4 class joined the Year 4 class from fellow winner West Harbour School to read with Vatuvei and some of his teammates at Waitakere Library.

The children submitted short stories and poems about their favourite players, including everything from colourful tales of meeting and training with them to creative descriptions of their performances on the field.

The judges were impressed with students such as Kimberley Evans from West Harbour School, who described how Kevin Locke "booted the ball as high as a zooming airplane as it went across the goal post".

Room 9 at Waitakere Primary also made a stellar effort, submitting entries as a tribute to young star Sonny Fai, who drowned at Bethells Beach.

The class will receive tickets to a Warriors home game.

The other six winning schools are Kohia Terrace School in Mt Eden, St Thomas School in Kohimarama, Mangatangi School in Pokeno; Pukekohe East School, Whangaparaoa School; and Browns Bay School on the North Shore.