Second and Seven is a popular leadership club where Bear athletes join the elementary schools on Fridays to read.

   The club supplies books to kids and reads to them while they show positive leadership skills and encourage the kids to diversify their reading. Since 1999, many high school student volunteers across the country inspire the next generation of learners and readers.

   “It’s so fun to go to the elementary schools and read to the kids because they light up and look so happy and then it makes me happy that I get to be a part of it,” Livi Cea ‘26 said.

   The Second and Seven program wouldn’t be made possible without the creators, Ohio State Football Alums: Ryan Miller, Luke Fickell, and Mike Vrabel. Miller, Fickle, and Vrabel motivated communities to get involved and pay it forward by the promotion of literacy and positive role models for kids. The club was named Second and Seven because the creators provided free books to all second graders in seven schools in Central Ohio. The club eventually grew and now this organization is all over the country. Mr. Weaver, the club administrator at Berlin, works hard to help the Olentangy community.

   “I’m so grateful that Berlin started this program. It looks great for our school and all of the Bears enjoy reading to the kids,” Weaver said.

   The most common book read to elementary schoolers is the Hog Mollies series. These books show good morals for the kids and teach them valuable life lessons, for example, respectful manners and kindness for everyday life. The book drives are also important because for some kids the books they receive from the Second and Seven program might be the only books they have at home.

   “I love the life lessons taught by the books, it teaches kids at a young age and I believe it is so important,” Rylan Stone ‘27 said.

   Overall, Second and Seven, not only changes the kids’ lives in school but also in the outside world by the improvement of literacy and positive role models.