BATON ROUGE -- Members of the LSU women’s basketball team participated in “Family Literacy Night” at Woodlawn Middle School in Baton Rouge this week as part of the Lady Tigers’ Goals, Perseverance and Achievement (GPA) program that launched this summer.

The GPA program was established as a partnership between LSU women’s basketball and the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. LSU head coach Van Chancellor spoke to local principals this summer about the importance of education for today’s youth and the team’s year-round plans to recognize hard work in the classroom.

Allison Hightower, LaSondra Barrett, Adrienne Webb, Erica Williams, Jasmine Nelson and Courtney Jones spoke to students and parents of the school about the importance of education and reading and also fielded questions from the audience. The players then helped run a free throw shooting contest. The night ended with an autograph and picture session in the library.

As at all community service appearances, the Lady Tigers and Coach Chancellor were transported in the official “Van Wagon” presented by Super Chevy Dealers. For more information on future appearances of the “Van Wagon”, visit www.JumpOnTheVanWagon.com.

All 14 Lady Tiger student-athletes have also been adopted by schools in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. Each player will be speaking to students about the values of hard work and education, taking part in panel discussions, having question and answer periods with the students and taking part in special events at the schools throughout the fall and winter. 

All of the participating schools will then attend LSU’s home game versus Ole Miss on Feb. 7 to watch their adopted player in action. The inaugural GPA game that honors education tips at 1 p.m. CT and will be televised live by the SEC Network.

Schools participating in the program include: Highland Elementary, LaSalle Elementary, Park Elementary, Parkview Oaks Elementary, University Terrace Elementary, Woodlawn Elementary, Banks Elementary, Progress Elementary, Claiborne Elementary, Brookstown Elementary, Winbourne Elementary, Scotlandville Elementary, Mayfair Middle School and Southeast Middle School.

Katherine Graham spoke at Woodlawn Elementary last week. Hightower joined former Lady Tiger point guard and 2009 WNBA champion Temeka Johnson at Southeast Middle School in Baton Rouge.

Hightower, a candidate for 2010 National Player of the Year and the 2010 Southeastern Conference Preseason Player of the Year, has been an active participant in the community since her arrival at LSU in 2006. On Wednesday, she was announced as a candidate for the 2009-10 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award which recognizes achievement on and off the court.

She talked about the rewarding experience of giving back to the community.

“It’s a joy to be around kids and help them in any way possible,” Hightower said. “It’s so important for us to give back to the community in any way we can. To bring smiles to their faces whether its signing an autograph or talking about staying in school, makes you happy to be a part of this.”

“LSU has always been the focal point of a lot of things in Baton Rouge,” Johnson added. “This program is great because it gives the community a chance to see the current team and interact with kids. It also shows how important the youth of Baton Rouge are to LSU women’s basketball. I never want to forget where I came from and I’m glad to be a part of this.”

LSU plays host to Centenary in the season-opener on Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. CT in the Maravich Center. The Lady Tigers play an exhibition game against Loyola-New Orleans on Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. CT.
For more information on LSU women’s basketball:

Website: www.JumpOnTheVanWagon.com
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