Bucknell Student-Athletes Read to Lewisburg Students for Black History Month

Bucknell University student-athletes visited Kelly Elementary School in Lewisburg on Feb. 26, 2026, as part of a multi-day Black History Month reading outreach that organizers said ran across the last two weeks of February. Eline Vermeulen, Bucknell’s associate athletic director of student-athlete enrichment, said, “32 students participated this year. The university students first visited Feb. 17, and the final day of the program is Friday.”

The reading project was organized with Bison Athletes of Color and Bucknell Student-Athlete Enrichment in partnership with Kelly Elementary and the Lewisburg Area School District. BucknellBison coverage of the program in 2023 described the visits as an annual Black History Month outreach; the 2023 effort included more than a dozen Bison and 28 reading sessions, according to university accounts.

During the Feb. 26 visit, Bucknell tennis player and Bison Athletes of Color vice president Tori Allen read two titles to Brooke Leitzel’s first-grade class: Satchel Paige by Lesa Cline-Ransome and For the Love of Soccer! by Pelé. Yahoo reported Allen read to about 20 first-grade students in Leitzel’s classroom, and Daily Item photos show Allen reading to students and the mascot Bucky the Bison giving high fives and hugs. Allen said, “It’s important to see athletes of color in different sports and how they broke boundaries.” Students asked Allen about tennis, school, fashion and her favorite color; one student invited her to a birthday party. Six-year-old Adelaide Koch told reporters, “I like when readers come in. I like to learn about them.”

Organizers and school staff emphasized role-modeling and community ties. First-grade teacher Brooke Leitzel said, “My students really enjoy having guest readers,” and added, “This builds a nice community with the school district and Bucknell.” Bucknell’s 2023 coverage quoted Kelly Elementary principal Chris Wetzel praising the partnership: “Being able to be a community partner with Bucknell University and having student-athletes come into our classrooms to read to our students during Black History Month was such a great experience. The student-athletes brought an energy and excitement that was contagious. Having the ability to bring in role models for our students and to share the joy of reading is invaluable.”

The program has drawn athletes from multiple sports in prior years. Coleman Bennett, a Bucknell football junior who participated in 2023, said, “Being able to get out in the community and show my face is something I always look forward to doing. With the readings being remote last year, it was nice to be able to read to the students in person and make their day on a Monday morning. I enjoyed asking them questions and answering questions they had as well. I read to Ms. Brockway's pre-k class.” Wrestler Dorian Crosby told 2023 reporters, “I thought it was important to show the kids some black history and journey through children's literature and know that no matter what the color of someone's skin is, everyone is special.”

Photos accompanying local coverage include Daily Item files labeled 2026_02_26_news_read 01.jpg and 2026_02_26_news_read 03.jpg showing Allen reading and Bucky the Bison interacting with students. Bucknell’s enrichment Instagram account posted, “Over the last two weeks in February, our Student-Athletes read to students at Kelly Elementary for Black History Month.” The readings are described by Bucknell and Kelly Elementary as part of an ongoing annual outreach that pairs university athletes with Lewisburg classrooms to highlight Black history and encourage literacy.