Players from the Western Nebraska Community College softball team took a few hours Wednesday, March 2, morning to read to pre-schoolers at Bear Cub Preschool and Roosevelt Elementary Preschool and the players said it was a very rewarding experience.

                "It was really nice being able to read to the preschoolers and hang out with them.," sophomore softball player Maddie Johnston said. "It's not very often we get to interact with kids in the community so I loved being able to read and play with them!"

                Avery Fox, who has never been a part of Dr. Seuss day, said it was enjoyable to her.

                "I have not taken part of Dr. Seuss day where someone got read to, which made this experience so much fun," Fox said. "It was so much fun reading to preschoolers. They were super excited that us big kids were there."

                Roosevelt preschool teacher Jami Palser-Wilson said her kids were thrilled to interact with the softball players.

                "My kids were super excited to have the girls come in and read to them. It's always nice to have others to interact with besides the teachers," Palser-Wilson said. "A good role model is nice for these kids to interact with. We got to talk not only about Dr. Seuss but also what these girls do, why they have a different accent,  what college is, etc."

                WNCC softball coach Courtney Medina said the team had some free time to make this happen since they have had games canceled and changed for this weekend.

                "We are very thankful to have the opportunity to read to some amazing classes today," Medina said. "We want to give a special thank you to Laramie Green and all of the teachers that allowed us to come read to their classrooms. We are usually playing on Dr. Seuss day and the weather has taken a lot but also gifted us a lot and being able to spend time with some amazing kiddos and faculty is one of them!"

                Palser-Wilson said the softball players provided good role models for the youngsters.

                "I like that these young ladies are getting out into the community and doing good for the young individuals," she said. "My kids were so excited they were up close and personal just to get attention and interact with someone new. Finding different ways for them to love reading and the love for books brings any teacher joy."

                The day was special to not only the youngsters, but to the players. The Cougar players said they learned so much from the little ones just like the little ones learned from them.

                "I learned that little kids have their own mind and ask questions out of the blue," Fox said. "I was playing with the kids. We were evening playing a game to guess the animal!"

                Johnston said these kids has plenty of energy and were enjoying the players in their classroom.

                "I learned that those kids are not shy at all! They are just excited for you to be there as we were to hang out with them," Johnston said. "The kids were extremely interesting in the stories we read and they had a blast being able to tell us more about themselves!."

                The players were only scheduled to be their for like 30 minutes or a little longer, but a situation arose that put the schools at Gering, Scottsbluff, and WNCC in a lockdown. It was during that time the players had an opportunity to mingle with the youngsters even more, some coloring with the young ones, while others built things and some even put puzzles together with them.

                Fox said the situation that prompted the lock down made for an even more enjoyable time with the kids.

                "Being secured with the kids was a lot of fun," she said. "It's crazy to think that the little ones do not know what is happening outside. They just continue business like usual. They were super excited that we got to play with them longer! It was a fun day and glad I was apart of it."

                For Johnston, who has partook in Dr. Seuss day before, said this day was crazy, but it was fun.

                "It was quite nerve racking to be with the kids during such a crazy time," she said. "Obviously nobody had planned for such an incident and suddenly I felt responsible for taking care of a number of young kids I don't know. I know some of the kids were scared but they didn't really know what was going on. I believe us being there with them distracted them for all the craziness."

                Medina said doing things like this is good for the college and the players to get out in the community. She knows her team enjoyed being a part of the day.

                "The team really enjoyed it and I know I'm biased, but we have some great girls that went above and beyond today," the coach said. "I am very thankful for this group of athletes and the community that provides these great opportunities for them."