Pupils at Whittingham Primary Academy enjoyed a special visit from the football club last week
Earlier this week, pupils at Whittingham Primary Academy enjoyed a special visit from first team Leyton Orient players Zech Obiero and Aaron Archibald as part of World Book Day.
The ‘Os’ duo swapped the football pitch for the classroom, inspiring pupils to stretch their imagination and fill the boots of characters in stories. They read popular stories aloud to the pupils – such as Judith Kerr’s The Tiger Who Came to Tea – and handed out books for them to take home at the end of the day.
The pupils got to hear some of the players’ own personal stories and discussed the importance of teamwork, resilience and perseverance and had the opportunity to ask the players questions about their favourite books and about what life is like as a young footballer in London.
Zech Obiero, Leyton Orient midfielder, said of the visit: “I saw the kids and read some books for World Book Day, answered a lot of their questions – some funny ones. It was good to see the smiles on their faces.
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“Reading just opens up your mind. You learn a lot from reading, even fiction – characters and how they approach certain situations – and you can transfer that to life.”
Felix Odutolu, assistant principal at Walthamstow Primary Academy, said: “World Book Day is one of pupils’ favourite days in the school calendar, so it’s been absolutely fantastic to have Leyton Orient come into our school, read with the children and really excite them.
“It’s been such an inspiring day to have the children see first team players and their interactions with literacy and reading. It’ll be something that a lot of the children will remember for a very long time.”
Nour, a Year 6 pupil at Whittingham Primary Academy, said: “When Leyton Orient visited our school I felt very honoured to meet them on World Book Day… seeing them in real life and shaking their hand in person was a dream.”
Marcel, another pupil at the school, also said: “I felt so excited to meet players that I watch at home on my TV. The players were extremely kind and gave me the best time ever!”
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