SE: K-State Student-Athletes Continue to Give Time to, Receive Joy from Cats in the Classroom
Nov 19, 2018 | Sports Extra, Athletics, Evans Student-Athlete Success Program
By Corbin McGuire
The first time Brogan Heinen showed up for Cats in the Classroom, he was a nervous freshman, unsure of what he was about to walk into.
"I remember we walked in and I was blown away with how many kids are so excited when you walk in," he recalled of his first experience, "because as soon as they see all that purple gear on that you're wearing, they know you're an athlete and they're just so in awe that you're there."
This year, Heinen signed up for five different sessions inside a Manhattan elementary school classroom. He also recruited many of his teammates to do the same. And he was far from the exception. In total, more than 75 Wildcats took part in 100-plus sessions inside local schools during the past two weeks.
The benefits from Cats in the Classroom go both ways, K-State rowing junior Mikaela Bennett said.
"They love having people there and find what you do so cool," Bennett said after her fourth Cats in the Classroom session. "I feel like it's a de-stressor for me and it's something to look forward to. When school or practices become a lot, I know I can come here, and I just get to hang out with kids, love on kids and help them learn."
K-State soccer's Grace Brennan agreed.
"It kind of gets you out of the college atmosphere for a little bit and involved with the community," she said. "It feels really good seeing how excited they get when you come in the room and knowing that it's kind of something exciting for their day, to see us and get to know what we do."
The experiences also offered some comedic moments.
At 6-foot-4, sophomore high jumper Tejaswin Shankar said he entered his first classroom feeling like a "giant." The native of India ended it playing Hungry Hungry Hippos.
"Coming back into these schools, the first thing that I thought was, 'I don't fit here.' The chairs and the stools, they're just mini and everyone's mini around me. It was a weird feeling but after that, playing with these children that was really cool, that really got me excited," he said. "We never had games in my elementary school. We just got out of school and played on the playground, but I'd never seen classroom games so this was really fun, something new for me."
Heinen said the most memorable moment he experienced in a classroom this year had to do with his hair — or, more accurately, lack thereof. Heinen, like the rest of his teammates, shaved his head for K-State baseball's "Shave for the Brave" event to end the fall and raise awareness for childhood cancer. He had gone weeks without anyone saying he looked odd without hair, until one of his Cats in the Classroom sessions.
"I took my hat off and, instantly, this kid that was in my group goes, 'Whoa, your head looks weird with your hat off,'" he said, laughing. "I said, 'You're the first person to say that, believe it or not.'"
Bennett said she found joy explaining rowing to the children and seeing their fascination with it.
"I've had preschoolers before," she said. "They think it's so cool when you explain to them that you're racing boats and you go super fast."
Of the teammates Heinen got to sign up this year, all but one was brand new to it. From what he could tell, he said they all had the same takeaway from their first experience that he did when he was a freshman.
"I think they go in thinking, 'I'm going to go in for an hour and I'm just going to get out of here,'" he said, "but they don't expect to learn the things that they learned in the past couple weeks. They realized that it's bigger than just being an athlete and that community is really important."
The first time Brogan Heinen showed up for Cats in the Classroom, he was a nervous freshman, unsure of what he was about to walk into.
"I remember we walked in and I was blown away with how many kids are so excited when you walk in," he recalled of his first experience, "because as soon as they see all that purple gear on that you're wearing, they know you're an athlete and they're just so in awe that you're there."
This year, Heinen signed up for five different sessions inside a Manhattan elementary school classroom. He also recruited many of his teammates to do the same. And he was far from the exception. In total, more than 75 Wildcats took part in 100-plus sessions inside local schools during the past two weeks.
The benefits from Cats in the Classroom go both ways, K-State rowing junior Mikaela Bennett said.
"They love having people there and find what you do so cool," Bennett said after her fourth Cats in the Classroom session. "I feel like it's a de-stressor for me and it's something to look forward to. When school or practices become a lot, I know I can come here, and I just get to hang out with kids, love on kids and help them learn."
K-State soccer's Grace Brennan agreed.
"It kind of gets you out of the college atmosphere for a little bit and involved with the community," she said. "It feels really good seeing how excited they get when you come in the room and knowing that it's kind of something exciting for their day, to see us and get to know what we do."
The experiences also offered some comedic moments.
At 6-foot-4, sophomore high jumper Tejaswin Shankar said he entered his first classroom feeling like a "giant." The native of India ended it playing Hungry Hungry Hippos.
"Coming back into these schools, the first thing that I thought was, 'I don't fit here.' The chairs and the stools, they're just mini and everyone's mini around me. It was a weird feeling but after that, playing with these children that was really cool, that really got me excited," he said. "We never had games in my elementary school. We just got out of school and played on the playground, but I'd never seen classroom games so this was really fun, something new for me."
Heinen said the most memorable moment he experienced in a classroom this year had to do with his hair — or, more accurately, lack thereof. Heinen, like the rest of his teammates, shaved his head for K-State baseball's "Shave for the Brave" event to end the fall and raise awareness for childhood cancer. He had gone weeks without anyone saying he looked odd without hair, until one of his Cats in the Classroom sessions.
"I took my hat off and, instantly, this kid that was in my group goes, 'Whoa, your head looks weird with your hat off,'" he said, laughing. "I said, 'You're the first person to say that, believe it or not.'"
Bennett said she found joy explaining rowing to the children and seeing their fascination with it.
"I've had preschoolers before," she said. "They think it's so cool when you explain to them that you're racing boats and you go super fast."
Of the teammates Heinen got to sign up this year, all but one was brand new to it. From what he could tell, he said they all had the same takeaway from their first experience that he did when he was a freshman.
"I think they go in thinking, 'I'm going to go in for an hour and I'm just going to get out of here,'" he said, "but they don't expect to learn the things that they learned in the past couple weeks. They realized that it's bigger than just being an athlete and that community is really important."
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