Anthony Lake, 14, makes a backhand return as Chancelor Costa, 13, back left, and Tyler Crompton, 13, look on at the Slater Park tennis courts in Pawtucket Monday. All three Pawtucket students participate in the ‘Tennis and Education’ program offered by the Cumberland-based Blackstone Valley Tennis Association.  Call photo/Ernest A. Brown 

By JON BAKER

PAWTUCKET  ---  It used to be that when his seventh-grade classes at Slater Middle School had ended for the day, Anthony Lake would hightail it home to watch “Spongebob Squarepants” or play video games.

That all changed when he found out, through school announcements, that officials of the Cumberland-based Blackstone Valley Tennis Association had helped to assemble a new six-week after-school program entitled “Tennis & Education.”
“I signed up for this because I wanted to do something different after school; I got bored playing the same old games and watching the same stuff on TV,” Lake said. “The weather’s better now, so I wanted to be outside. My parents didn’t tell me to do this; I did it on my own, and I’m glad I did.”
Other middle-schoolers from Slater, Jenks and Goff had assorted reasons for registering, but there was one common denominator: All wanted to meet new friends, increase reading potential and learn more about the sport.
“In February of 2007, I came upon an article about students and reading in the Rhode Island area, and the literacy/reading scores were so low, it bothered me to no end,” said BVTA president Joanne Macksoud, a former Shea High tennis coach. “That’s when I figured I’d apply for a grant from the Tennis & Education Foundation, based in White Plains, N.Y.
“I was saddened by the statistics that were listed; I mean, they involved Pawtucket kids, and I’m a Pawtucket gal, having attended Fallon (Elementary) and Goff and graduated from Tolman,” she added. “I did some computer research on the foundation, then looked at my husband (Eddie) and said, ‘I’ve got to do it.. These kids need something like this.’
“I know Pawtucket is a distressed area, and because it’s part of the Blackstone Valley, my goal was to start such an after-school program in the city, then expand it to two other distressed areas in the Valley: Woonsocket and Central Falls. That’s still the ultimate goal, but I have to find funding for it. Right now, with the economy as bad as it is, that’s very difficult. But if I have anything to say about it, we’ll get this rolling both in Woonsocket and Central Falls.”
The program operates this way: When school ends every Monday and Wednesday, a contingent of 25 students pile on buses to Slater Park’s Mike Kenny Courts, where they read The Times for 30 minutes and discuss the news. Immediately after, they take to the courts for an hour to become educated on the proper way to hit a foam tennis ball
In between the “mind” and “body” sessions, they share a healthy snack including bottled water and an apple.
When questioned how reading and tennis instruction could be pulled together, Macksoud stated it was rather simple.
“Trust me, it makes a lot of sense,” she offered. “There are two big problems right now with kids in this country: One is literacy, the other obesity, or lack of health. That’s why these two things go hand in hand. Right here, there are 25 kids sitting on a tennis court reading a newspaper, some for the first time in their lives, and then they grab a racquet, again some for the first time ever.
“This is all about getting them more involved scholastically and athletically,” she continued.
Before applying for the grant, Macksoud met with Pawtucket Schools Superintendent Hans Dellith to request permission to conduct such a seminar, and he obliged. When she discovered last July she had received the funding, she informed Dellith, who introduced her to Jenks Principal Sue Pheil. Not surprisingly, all were thrilled.
Actually, the “trial run,” which lasted 11 weeks, began at Jenks back in January, the reason being it had two refurbished tennis courts to the school’s side, courtesy of a separate city grant.
“During the reading segment, we tried to increase their vocabulary and -- honestly -- get them to read better,” Macksoud said. “At Jenks, they were reading tennis magazines, and sometimes a few kids would get shy because they knew they couldn’t read at the same level as others. So I’d let them take the magazines home to practice understanding what they read, and when they came back, they could better read the paragraphs.
“As time went on, if one of the kids stumbled while reading, one would help another, and they not only learned but bonded,” she added with a smile.
For this main spring program, Macksoud enlisted friends Rui Monteiro and Pam Esten as instructors. Monteiro, 26, is a Lincoln resident and former Attleboro Open Men’s Tournament champion, not to mention an invitee to the Cape Verdean Olympic tennis team trials. Esten is a retired Providence School Department psychologist.
“It helps them read and also be active,” Monteiro said. “It keeps them off the street, and that’s big at their age.”
Noted Esten: “One of the reasons I took this job was because I liked the idea of it having a reading element, too. To me, tennis is a thinker’s game, so the two tie together easily. If you build in one area, you’ll build in the other, especially when surrounded by your peers.
“Tennis-wise, some of them are naturals, and they get it right off the bat,” she added. “I think, in the matter of a couple of weeks, most will be significantly better because they’re so young. I started playing as an adult, and learning was a slower go. These kids can learn fast.”
Allison Buja, 14, a Goff eighth-grader, attended a tennis camp as a youngster, but got away from the game.
“I love tennis, and I wanted to see if I could get better at it,” she said. “And the reading, I knew it would help me in school. Tennis-wise, I’m pitiful. I’m not as good as I thought I’d be, so I need to spend more time at it.”
Said Tyler Crompton, at 13 a Jenks seventh-grade student: “I don’t play baseball, football or soccer, and I figured tennis would be fun. A lot of the others are for teams, and I like the individual side of it. The reading helps me learn words I never knew before. I understand what they mean and how to pronounce them.
“If I wasn’t here, I’d be riding my skateboard or watching TV,” he added. “Now I’m learning how to hit a backhand or forehand.”