COVID-19 has had major impacts on student learning and well-being. For SY 2021/2022, Cambridge Public Schools was looking for creative ways to provide both literacy and social-emotional learning support to upper elementary students. One of our 2nd-grade teachers, Sarah Branz, came up with an amazing afterschool program for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders called, “Books and Ballers.” This program meets twice a week and it’s half basketball and half book club. There are 46 students split into four classrooms. They practice teamwork, skill-building, and perseverance on the basketball court and focus on reading comprehension, vocabulary building, and speaking and writing about reading in the book club. The students vote on which high-interest books to read and are provided the proper support so that they enjoy their time with the texts. It’s free and snacks and transportation are provided…we want the program to be accessible to any student who can benefit. We also formed a partnership with the Lesley Athletic Department so that their student athletes can come work with our kids. The idea is to have them help not only with basketball skills but also with sportsmanship and team building. We hope to continue both the program and this partnership next year!