Photo by: GoDucks.com
O Heroes Contribute to B1G Impact Reading Week
02/26/26 | O Heroes
More than two dozen UO student-athletes read books with local kids as part of a Big Ten Conference initiative in February.
EUGENE, Ore. — As men's basketball student-athlete Miles Stewart sat before a group of local elementary school students and read aloud with them earlier this month, it struck him that life had come full circle.
Stewart and more than two dozen other Oregon student-athletes were participants in the Big Ten Conference's "B1G Impact Reading Week" in February. Those Ducks, who represented more than half the teams in the UO athletic department, read 30 books in all to kids at Edison Elementary School, a few blocks south of the UO campus.
A few years earlier, Stewart was in the kids' shoes. So he knew well how much of an impression he could make on them by participating in the program through the Ducks' O Heroes initiative.
"I thought it would be a great opportunity to be active and give back to the Oregon community that is so supportive of us," said Stewart, a senior transfer from Windermere, Fla. "I remember as a kid, whenever athletes came to visit the classroom, it was always one of the highlights of the year."
The "B1G Impact Reading Week" formally began Jan. 31, marking the birth date of groundbreaking former UCLA student-athlete Jackie Robinson. His life story was the subject of one book on the reading list for the initiative, "I Am Jackie Robinson" by Brad Meltzer, one of several written by and/or featuring alumni of Big Ten universities.
"Having the Ducks come read to the kids was really inspiring for the kids," said Gretchen Jewett, who teaches fifth grade at Edison Elementary. "They were excited to hear the stories, but more excited to meet them as people, and get some ideas about how they got to be athletes at the college level. I think it was really inspiring for the kids.
"It's like these kinds of heroes to look up to, right here in our classroom."
Along with hearing the student-athletes read stories, the school children were able to pose questions to them. Track and field student-athlete Sam Humphries fielded one from a student wanting to know how she handled the pressure of performing in front of big crowds at Hayward Field.
"It caught me off-guard a little bit because of the depth of the question," Humphries said, "but it made me especially think about the power and responsibility I have as an athlete at a very high-level program, to share and use my experiences and what I've learned to inspire young kids who want to be where I am."
Women's golfer Shyla Singh said she had a similar revelation when some of the kids asked for her autograph and to pose for pictures.
Stewart also took the opportunity to join the kids for recess and share his love of basketball with them. Sarah Lacey, a Title I Coordinator at Edison, said one of the kids who shot hoops with the Ducks was "a little young man who struggles to find friendship in school."
"And they wrapped him up and made him feel big," Lacey said, "which was really important."
The interaction had a big impact on the Edison student. And it had a big impact on Stewart, as well.
"It really made me understand that I can be a leader in the community and help have a positive impact on lives," he said. "It inspired me to want to start giving back and volunteering even more."
Stewart and more than two dozen other Oregon student-athletes were participants in the Big Ten Conference's "B1G Impact Reading Week" in February. Those Ducks, who represented more than half the teams in the UO athletic department, read 30 books in all to kids at Edison Elementary School, a few blocks south of the UO campus.
A few years earlier, Stewart was in the kids' shoes. So he knew well how much of an impression he could make on them by participating in the program through the Ducks' O Heroes initiative.
"I thought it would be a great opportunity to be active and give back to the Oregon community that is so supportive of us," said Stewart, a senior transfer from Windermere, Fla. "I remember as a kid, whenever athletes came to visit the classroom, it was always one of the highlights of the year."
The "B1G Impact Reading Week" formally began Jan. 31, marking the birth date of groundbreaking former UCLA student-athlete Jackie Robinson. His life story was the subject of one book on the reading list for the initiative, "I Am Jackie Robinson" by Brad Meltzer, one of several written by and/or featuring alumni of Big Ten universities.
"Having the Ducks come read to the kids was really inspiring for the kids," said Gretchen Jewett, who teaches fifth grade at Edison Elementary. "They were excited to hear the stories, but more excited to meet them as people, and get some ideas about how they got to be athletes at the college level. I think it was really inspiring for the kids.
"It's like these kinds of heroes to look up to, right here in our classroom."
Along with hearing the student-athletes read stories, the school children were able to pose questions to them. Track and field student-athlete Sam Humphries fielded one from a student wanting to know how she handled the pressure of performing in front of big crowds at Hayward Field.
"It caught me off-guard a little bit because of the depth of the question," Humphries said, "but it made me especially think about the power and responsibility I have as an athlete at a very high-level program, to share and use my experiences and what I've learned to inspire young kids who want to be where I am."
Women's golfer Shyla Singh said she had a similar revelation when some of the kids asked for her autograph and to pose for pictures.
Stewart also took the opportunity to join the kids for recess and share his love of basketball with them. Sarah Lacey, a Title I Coordinator at Edison, said one of the kids who shot hoops with the Ducks was "a little young man who struggles to find friendship in school."
"And they wrapped him up and made him feel big," Lacey said, "which was really important."
The interaction had a big impact on the Edison student. And it had a big impact on Stewart, as well.
"It really made me understand that I can be a leader in the community and help have a positive impact on lives," he said. "It inspired me to want to start giving back and volunteering even more."
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