WKU and area school systems are teaming up to combine athletics and academics. The Lady Hilltoppers game against Georgia State on Jan. 8 will be attended by more than 2,100 students in grades K through 8 from Bowling Green Independent Schools, and schools in Glasgow and Logan County.
The effort is the third "Spread the Red Education Game" to be held at WKU.
Teachers in the schools are using historical statistics and biographical information on the WKU players as learning tools by incorporating them into history, reading, math, and geography lessons. Bowling Green Superintendent Joe Tinius says another benefit of the effort is getting young children on a college campus.
"Whenever we bring students to campus, we will always have many of them talk about how they had never been there before, and that they didn't know that a particular building was in Bowling Green. And that's a little hard for some of us to understand, and comprehend," Tinius said. "But I think as an educator it makes me realize that we need to take advantage of every opportunity to get our kids on campus."
WKU women's basketball coach Michelle Clark-Heard says she's especially excited to have young female students on campus to meet the WKU players and coaching staff.
The January 8 game versus Georgia State will be the Sun Belt Conference opener for the WKU women.
