Kinder-Gators are stealing hearts across The Gator Nation

Author: Unknown Publication Date: Thursday June 16, 2011

It started as a small idea — not much bigger, in fact, than Lia Wathen’s students.

Wathen is a kindergarten teacher at Pioneer Elementary in Escondido, Calif. Her students face a variety of challenges — many receive free or reduced-price lunches, for instance. Often they are learning English as their second language.

To promote lifelong learning and help the students think about a hope-filled future, about two years ago the elementary school near San Diego decided that each class should adopt a university to learn about and cheer for. Although she’s not an alumna, the University of Florida has been a big part of Wathen’s classroom ever since.

“They have fallen in love with your mascots, Albert and Alberta,” Wathen says of why her students picked the Gators.

The devotion to UF has grown into much more than a class project — it’s become a community project, too. The San Diego Gator Club® has adopted Wathen’s classroom to help encourage the children, says Bena Leslie (BABA ’03), the Gator Club’s past president. Club members have made the students guests of honor at viewing parties and have donated T-shirts, stickers and other Gator gear. In fact, Wathen’s class has been the club’s project for International Gator Day the last two years.

“I feel fortunate that we have this opportunity, and we’ll continue to work with Ms. Wathen’s classes as long as she lets us,” Leslie says.

This spring, the children showed their love for UF by making a class video, “Kinder Gators Read, Write and Stomp in the Swamp.” The five-minute short, which won an award at the Escondido Youth Media Festival this month, has become a viral hit among alumni thanks to Facebook and Twitter.

“Send them acceptance letters NOW!” Karen Ross Kirsch (BSBA ’89, JD ’92) of Sarasota wrote on Facebook after watching the orange-and-blue-clad little ones sing tunes such as “I’m a Little Gator” and, yes, “We are the Boys.” “Love those little Kinder-Gators!”

Watch Ms. Wathen’s kindergarten class video
Learn more about the San Diego Gator Club®