FOOTBALL PLAYERS TEAMING UP TO MENTOR GRADE-SCHOOL KIDS.(News) - Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

SAUGUS - Zach Summers leaned over to look at the small boy's paper and helped him correct a word.

``It's a-c-h at the end, even though it sounds like k,'' he explained, helping him write ``stomach'' for his poem about body parts.

The quarterback for the Saugus High School football team could be spending his Friday afternoons scrimmaging or playing video games, but between 2 and 3 p.m., he and 14 of his teammates help students at Bouquet Elementary School with everything from writing to art projects to games and reading.

``Coach (Jason Bornn) said he wasn't forcing anyone to do it,'' Summers said. ``We all wanted to help.''

The gridiron stars made their first visit to the campus on April 29 and spent the afternoon getting to know the kids.

``They asked us about ourselves and shared a lot of stuff about themselves, like what their favorite animals are,'' Summers said.

``They wanted to know how we were in elementary school,'' said Justin Keehne, who plays center for the Centurions. ``They asked a lot of questions about how we made the transition from elementary school to high school. They don't want to know much about football.

``We're here to tell them that when they get to high school, they should work hard if they want to succeed, even if they don't play sports.''

Receiver Wes Campbell said his math skills were tested when the kids asked for help the previous week. ``We're here to give them anything they need,'' he said.

Renee Anderson welcomed the boys into her third-grade classroom, where pupils were working on their body-part poems. ``They were so excited to know the boys were coming back,'' she said as the boys worked with small groups.

```My legs are made of noodles,''' Zach read aloud. ``How do you walk?'' he asked the boys sitting at his feet.

Across the room, T.J. Gregg, a Bouquet Canyon Elementary alumnus, drew a picture for Kayla Eaton, 9, and Kailee Roth, 8.

``Let's start with the head and work down,'' he said.

``We don't have a stomach!'' Kailee said.

``Let's work on this some more,'' Gregg suggested.

In Debbie McGreevey's fourth-grade class, pupils were in the midst of publishing newspapers about themselves. In the middle of the classroom, Keehne and Terence Manley were surrounded by youngsters clamoring for their attention.

``It's so much more fun when the boys check their work than when a teacher checks it,'' McGreevey joked. ``It's a real positive experience for everyone to have them here.''

``Make sure she can't see the writing,'' Manley coached as he helped a little one with a construction paper portrait. Nearby, Keehne stood, arms crossed and listening intently as Mina Faust, 10, read her biography.

Bornn said he got the idea to partner the team with elementary school children from a newspaper article.

``It's a great way to teach kids concern for others,'' he said. ``We have about 15 kids signed up to do it. One of the moms said she'd help coordinate it with the school and Bouquet was the first one to respond that they were ready. We're going to continue until the end of the school year and pick it up in the fall.''

The high school students get no extra credit or community service points for their involvement, a fact that didn't seem to matter to the boys as they eagerly went to their classes.

``When I told these guys that the kids would be looking forward to seeing them every week, they were ready,'' Bornn said. ``I told them the kids would be depending on them, and let them know if they flaked and didn't show that they would be letting the kids down.

``I remember when I was a kid, if I saw a football player walking across campus, it didn't matter if he was the starting quarterback or the eighth-string punter, they were a football player and a hero in my eyes.''

Bornn said the buzz around the locker room has been nothing but positive - and for 15 young men at Saugus High, Fridays have become much more than just game days.

Carol Rock, (661) 257-5252

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Saugus High quarterback Zach Summers helps Kevin Yunas and William McLean with a poetry project at Bouquet Canyon Elementary School.

(2 -- 3) A group of Saugus High School football team members, including T.J. Gregg, at left, and Justin Keehne, right, help the Bouquet Canyon Elementary School kids on projects in the classroom on Friday.

David Crane/Staff Photographer