Celtics visit Perkins School

 
Celtics employee Bekah Splaine, Perkins student Michael Cote, 12, and player Bill Walker.

The Boston Globe, April 5, 2009
By Cindy Cantrell

Boston Celtics players and a co-owner brought the team's Read to Achieve program to the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown last week.

Visiting the school were center Kendrick Perkins, guard Eddie House, forward Bill Walker, and co-owner Wyc Grousbeck, as well as the Weston resident's wife, Corinne Grousbeck, who is chairwoman of the Perkins Trust and a member of the Celtics Women's Group.

The visitors used special books that feature traditional printed pages and Braille pages to read with students. "It is a lot of fun not just reading to the children, but having them read to us as well," Perkins said in an announcement of the visit. "It is inspirational that these students are able to overcome their disability and have a love of reading."

Three Perkins students joined in to read aloud from "Arthur Meets the President." Slater Schuler, a Braintree 10-year-old who is deaf and blind, started it off using an adaptive device that translates the Braille text she reads into audio output. Michael Cote, a 12-year-old from Agawam, was next, reading to the crowd assembled in the school gym, followed by Omar Jomaa, 13, of Watertown.

The players also discussed some favorite books and the importance of reading in their lives.

"Of course it's exciting for the students to meet the Celtics players," said Rob Hair, a Perkins School administrator. "For these students, though, it means so much to know that everybody - even NBA champions - cares about reading and learning.

"To be honest, I think they kind of like showing off, too!"

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.