Throughout the 2018-2019 academic year, UofL student-athletes and staff wrote 12,388 letters for Jefferson Country Public Schools elementary school students. Last week, a group of student-athletes hand delivered “Good Luck” letters to Byck Elementary students. The remaining letters for the 91 other schools were delivered on Friday.
The goal of the project was to motivate and encourage youth in the community to try their best, work hard and stay positive through their KPREP testing. The letter-writing campaign also provided an opportunity for UofL student-athletes to come together in support of a great cause.
The Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP) tests, which are based on the Kentucky Academic Standards, began on May 20 and students taking the test were greeted with “Good Luck” letters and well wishes. The assessment, for grades 3-8, is a criterion-referenced test consisting of multiple-choice, extended-response and short answer items.
The JCPS lead on the project and the district chief of communication, Renee Murphy, was thrilled to help reach the local students.
“Seeing the dedication from UofL student-athletes to complete a project like this is amazing,” Murphy said. “Our students loved the hand-written letters and know the people they look up to are cheering them on. These are the kind of community partnerships that make all the difference.”
This type of service is nothing new for the Cardinals. Last year, UofL’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee continued its partnership with the West End School by starting a pen pal program, for example.
Louisville, which has ranked in the top five in service for four-consecutive years, accrued approximately 9,000 hours of community service for the 2017-18 school year. The Cardinals had a 97-percent participation rate, with 656 student-athletes, including spirit group members, volunteering throughout the community.
