EIGHTY local primary school students will take part in Melbourne Football Club’s Read Like a Demon program over the next two months.
The first session was at Casey Fields on Tuesday and Melbourne footballers Stefan Martin and Lynden Dunn and Specky Magee co-author Felice Arena were in attendance.
Martin, who hails from Berwick, is the program ambassador and the former Haileybury College student obtained a VCE ENTER score of 99.75.
The literacy program is a partnership between Melbourne and the Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation.
They believe the presence of positive sporting role models will encourage more children to read.
The eight primary schools participating in the reading workshops are Cranbourne, St Agatha’s (Cranbourne), Hampton Park, Hallam, Mary MacKillop (Narre Warren North), St Margaret’s School, St Michael’s (both Berwick) and Thomas Mitchell (Endeavour Hills).
The other sessions are at Cranbourne Library on 15 July and Casey Fields on 19 August.
Demons players will visit the eight schools on 4 August.
Officials have also developed a Read Like a Demon blog to promote reading to children aged between seven and 12.
The website is http://readlikeademon.blogspot.com.
Students will also have the opportunity to win a Demons’ Day Out for Melbourne’s round 22 clash with St Kilda on 30 August.
Students who post their book reviews on the club’s blog will enter the draw to win the prize.