Jan. 9, 2006

Public School #18
St. Gregory's School for Boys
Women at Loudonville Elementary

Members of Siena's men's basketball team spent most of Monday morning visiting Albany Public School #18 and St. Gregory's School for Boys and the women spent Tuesday morning with Loudonville Elementary as part of the Fidelis Care Adopt-A-School Program and MAAC Gives Back. Student-athletes and coaches spoke on the virtues of staying and school and remaining focused on academics.

"I loved the experience," head coach Fran McCaffery said. "We talked to the kids about how important it is to get a good education and how hard everyone on our team works on and off the basketball court. We talked about how our values on the basketball court of unselfishness and teamwork translate through to every area of life."

The Siena women's team spent Monday afternoon cooking meals for families at the Ronald McDonald House in Albany, and then delivering those meals to Albany Medical Center. They followed that up Tuesday with visiting nearby Loudonville Elementary where they were greeted warmly by the school's students.

The newly redesigned Adopt-A-School program is a Saints in the Community initiative intended to motivate area elementary students through interaction with Siena's student-athletes. Members of Siena's athletic teams interact with designated schools throughout the year. In addition to providing guidance and leadership to area youths, Siena's student athletes learn first hand the value of volunteering in the community. The elementary students can find that learning is fun as teachers incorporate Siena Athletics into class lesson plans (i.e. using statistics for math assignments, or writing the players for English).

Siena's student-athletes correspond throughout the year and ultimately visit the school. Each school is presented with an Adopt-A-School poster, identifying it as a current participant in the program. Additionally, Siena publications and prizes are provided for the school to give out to students who are deemed outstanding performers. Each school receives 50 tickets to a men's and women's basketball game, and the entire school is invited to come to campus for a day in the fall and spring to watch other Siena student-athletes in action.

Siena's current adopted schools season are:
Albany Public School #18
St. Gregory's School for Boys
Schenectady Middle School
Acadia (Shenedehowa) Elementary School
Loudonville Elementary