New York Knickerbockers Expand Literacy Program With Cablevision's Power to Learn
March 10 2005 - 12:55PM
PR Newswire (US)
New York Knickerbockers Expand Literacy Program With Cablevision's
Power to Learn New York Knicks Star and Brooklyn Native Stephon
Marbury Steps Off the Court and Into the Classroom to Officially
Launch Program on Wednesday, March 16 NEW YORK and BETHPAGE, N.Y.,
March 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The New York Knickerbockers
today announced a groundbreaking expansion of its "Read To Achieve"
literacy program through a partnership with Cablevision's Power to
Learn initiative. The new component will utilize the power of
technology, celebrities, and incentives to encourage reading and
comprehension through the use of interactive videos and the
Internet, a natural partnership and extension of existing Knicks
and Power to Learn education initiatives. The Knicks educational
initiatives currently reach thousands of children annually through
in-school programs, group readings and player and celebrity visits.
Power to Learn will expand this reach to the hundreds of thousands
of students, teachers and parents it serves through broadband
technology and innovative curriculum programs. To kick-off this new
literacy platform, Stephon Marbury will take center stage in the
classroom to read one of his favorite books, Gus and Grandpa at
Basketball to a class of 3rd grade elementary students at PS 329 in
Coney Island, Brooklyn on March 16. Students everywhere who visit
http://www.powertolearn.com/ can read this same book, take a
comprehension quiz, and get a personalized congratulatory postcard
from Stephon. Through live "Reading Zones" and at
http://www.powertolearn.com/, this program motivates kids to read
by combining their favorite sports personalities with rewards and
incentives. This exciting new program consists of: * Virtual
Reading Zones -- Teachers set up Power to Learn/Knicks Reading
Zones in their classes and set individual and group reading goals.
Student classroom reading achievements are tracked and celebrated
at http://www.powertolearn.com/. The Knicks and Power to Learn
provide exciting incentives to motivate students. Participating
classrooms also receive book donations to supplement their
classroom libraries. * Postcard Club -- Online destination where
Knicks and Liberty players recommend books by grade level. Students
select a book to read, and when finished, take a short online
comprehension quiz. Electronic personalized postcards from the
player who recommended the book are rewarded to students who
complete and pass the quiz. This program component fosters both
reading and comprehension. * Knicks Video Books -- Players and
other popular figures such as Spike Lee read or introduce video
books at http://www.powertolearn.com/. NY, NJ, CT, and NYC
standards based lesson plans and subtitled versions are available
for each book. Through the video books, players can virtually visit
classrooms and inspire kids to read. "This very unique platform
will take the Knicks conventional reading initiatives to the next
level," said Anucha Browne Sanders, Knicks senior vice president,
marketing and business operations. "We are proud to partner with
Cablevision's Power to Learn to expand our reach beyond the
conventional borders of the classroom." "Each of my students
started fourth grade with no or little desire to pick up a book for
enjoyment," said Kathy Happich, a teacher at PS 215 in Brooklyn.
"With the help of the Virtual Reading Zone, I have many students
looking to sign out books for personal enjoyment. Some of the
students' reading comprehension has improved. Most of the students
attitudes toward reading have changed for the positive." "We
believe the recognition of Knicks players combined with the reach
of the Internet will encourage more children to discover the
wonders and excitement of reading," said Trent Anderson,
Cablevision's vice president of education. "With today's emphasis
in education on testing, reading can feel like a chore to kids.
This program makes reading fun and helps students learn essential
reading and comprehension skills at the same time. Power to Learn
is committed to bringing meaningful educational opportunities to
students, teachers and parents throughout the communities we serve,
and we are proud to further this commitment through partnering with
the Knicks." Power to Learn, Cablevision's nationally recognized
education initiative, empowers K-12 learning in the tri-state area
by making technology in the classroom useful and by facilitating
the home-school connection. More than 2,000 schools and libraries
throughout Cablevision's New York metropolitan service area receive
high-speed Internet access and more than 85 percent of schools in
Cablevision's service area receive free cable television service as
a result of this initiative. In addition, teachers, students and
parents benefit from innovative educational content and tools
available on http://www.powertolearn.com/, a broadband Web resource
dedicated to facilitating K-12 learning and the home-school
connection. The NBA's New York Knickerbockers basketball team,
completing its 59th year of operation, is part of Madison Square
Garden, L.P. Cablevision Systems Corporation owns Madison Square
Garden, L.P., which includes MSG Network; FSN New York; the New
York Knicks (NBA); the New York Rangers (NHL); the New York Liberty
(WNBA); Radio City Entertainment; the Hartford Wolf Pack (American
Hockey League), and the Madison Square Garden arena complex,
located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area. About
Cablevision Cablevision Systems Corporation is one of the nation's
leading entertainment and telecommunications companies. Its cable
television operations serve more than 3 million households in the
New York metropolitan area. The company's advanced
telecommunications offerings include its iO: Interactive Optimum
digital television offering, Optimum Online high-speed Internet
service, Optimum Voice digital voice-over-cable service, and its
Lightpath integrated business communications services.
Cablevision's Rainbow Media Holdings LLC operates several
successful programming businesses, including AMC, IFC, WE and other
national and regional networks. In addition to its
telecommunications and programming businesses, Cablevision is the
controlling owner of Madison Square Garden and its sports teams,
the New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty. The company also operates
New York's famed Radio City Music Hall, and owns and operates
Clearview Cinemas. Additional information about Cablevision Systems
Corporation is available on the Web at http://www.cablevision.com/.
DATASOURCE: Cablevision Systems Corporation CONTACT: Joe Favorito,
New York Knickerbockers, +1-212-465-6442, ; Marie Stenberg,
Cablevision, +1-516-803-2352, Web site: http://www.cablevision.com/
http://www.powertolearn.com/
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