Edison, N.J. (Dec. 19, 2019) – The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) has been named the title sponsor of the 26
th annual “MAAC Gives Back” reading program with the Atlantic City school district. The effort includes school visits by MAAC men’s and women’s basketball teams to the 11 Atlantic City public schools.
The announcement was made this morning at a Richmond Avenue School assembly attended by Quinnipiac University Head Coach Baker Dunleavy and his men’s basketball team along with MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor, Atlantic City Superintendent of Schools Barry Caldwell, Richmond Avenue School Principal Shelley Williams, Vice Principal Shontai Harris, Casino Reinvestment Development Authority Director of Communications and Marketing Larry Sieg and NJEA Associate Director for Organizing and Coalition Building Dawn Hiltner.
“Partnering with the MAAC was a great opportunity to not only encourage reading but to introduce our students to college athletes who can share their school experiences and serve as role models,” said Hiltner.
The MAAC and the Atlantic City Board of Education have been working since the start of the academic year to incentivize students in grades 3-5 to read at least 30 minutes a day as part of the district’s “Readers Become Leaders” program.
The NJEA and MAAC partnership also allows for a reading contest that will reward the winning class with a pizza party and honor the most-read students in grades 3-5 on the court during the MAAC Basketball Championships which will be played at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City from March 10-14, 2020.
NJEA leaders will be on hand on March 13, along with their “Cat in the Hat” mascot, to welcome more than 2,000 Atlantic City elementary students to the Women’s Basketball semifinals. The day will include a guest speaker on such topics as leadership, teamwork and sportsmanship. The classrooms will also be invited to participate in Bounce on the Boardwalk, where the students will be given MAAC basketballs to bounce down the Atlantic City boardwalk to the games at Boardwalk Hall.
The NJEA will also make discounted MAAC Basketball Championships tickets available to its members. The festival-like atmosphere also features the league’s ESports Championship, MAAC Fan Fest, MAAC Band Jam, MAAC ‘n Cheese Fest, Spirit Squad Showcase and much more.
“We have always been committed to working closely on the academic side with our host cities in promoting literacy and utilizing the power of our student-athletes to showcase the importance of school and reading,” Ensor said. “The Atlantic City school community has welcomed us with open arms and hopefully we have begun to make a difference with Monmouth, Saint Peter’s and now Quinnipiac already visiting. The NJEA brings another powerful presence to the effort and we look forward to expanding our involvement with the teacher community in the future.”
Van Wagner Sports, the multi-media rights and sponsorship partner of the MAAC, facilitated the development and execution of this partnership.
For more information on “MAAC Gives Back”, please contact Harold Bentley III, Director of Championships, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, at (732) 738-5455 Ext. 112 or
harold.bentley@maac.org.
About the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority:
The only agency of its kind nationwide, the CRDA has used Atlantic City casino reinvestments as a catalyst for meaningful, positive improvement in the lives of New Jersey residents since 1984. Under the 2011 Tourism District Act, the Authority's mission evolved from statewide projects to becoming the state's key economic development agency for Atlantic City. CRDA's expanded responsibilities now include land use regulation, tourism marketing and clean and safe initiatives. The CRDA also oversees Historic Boardwalk Hall (the leading entertainment venue of its size in the country) and the Atlantic City Convention Center. In total, CRDA has invested nearly $2 billion in more than 400 projects statewide, of which $1.8 billion has been invested in Atlantic City, spurring business investments and expansions, and creating permanent jobs in the process. For more information about CRDA and our projects, visit
www.njcrda.com. Follow us on Facebook at
Facebook.com/njcrda and Twitter at
www.twitter.com/njcrda
About the New Jersey Education Association:
The New Jersey Education Association is a diverse, democratic organization working to create an optimal environment to achieve excellence in public education in New Jersey. Our members include over 200,000 active and retired educators and support professionals in New Jersey’s public schools and community colleges.
About Van Wagner Sports:
Van Wagner Sports, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Van Wagner Group LLC, creates, advises, and sells on behalf of world-class teams, leagues, brands, properties, and colleges. An innovator in the sports and media business, Van Wagner is a global leader in high-impact broadcast visible signage throughout the MLB, NBA, NCAA, and the highest levels of international soccer, sponsorships sales, premium ticketing, college multi-media rights, and in-venue content production at the world’s biggest sporting events.
www.vanwagner.com
About the 2020 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships:
The MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships return to New Jersey on March 10-14, 2020 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. To stay up to date on MAAC basketball, visit
http://maacsports.com/basketball and follow
@MAACHoops on Twitter.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 39th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.