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A Royal visitor to Tonganoxie

By Shawn Linenberger - | Jan 19, 2016

Tonganoxie Elementary School kicked off its new Royals Reading Challenge with someone who’s become a bit of a celebrity at Kauffman Stadium.

KayCee, the old-time baseball player who brings out the “W” after every Royals victory, spoke to TES students Friday afternoon.

Many students were decked out in their favorite Royals attire to greet KayCee, who continues to be a fan favorite.

KayCee, also known as Lenexa resident Dave Webster, works in the Royals Hall of Fame and is part of the team’s educational programming for students.

At one point, Webster decided to get fans more acquainted with Kansas City baseball history — and baseball history in general — beyond the past few decades.

So he started dressing in uniforms reminiscent of the 1800s and gave a broader history of local baseball.

From there, Webster had an idea to display a “W” in his vintage threads before the 2014 season. His first “W” was a modest letter, and one he spray painted in his garage and equipped with velcro.

His idea eventually stuck, and “KayCee” became a staple after Royals’ home victories the past two seasons.

It was good timing, considering they were two of the most successful summers in franchise history.

On Friday, the local celebrity visited a few TES classrooms after helping kick off the reading program.

“I’ve made a living out of the 23rd letter of the alphabet,” he joked as children flanked him for photos.

Nichole Gurwell, instructional coach at Tonganoxie middle and elementary schools, said she was excited KayCee was able to make an appearance at TES to assist with the local reading challenge.

She said she decided to develop the Royals Reading Challenge as a way to play off the local community support for the World Series champions and get children excited about reading.

“We are challenging every student, teacher and staff member to read 20 books this semester,” Gurwell said in an email. “If kids see adults reading, they are more likely to do it as well.”

Each teacher has a poster on their door where they advertise what they are reading. When a student finishes a book, the student fills out a book review and staff will put up a “W” in the school’s front entryway for every 100 books read by the school.

TES’ goal is to display 125 W’s by summer.

Gurwell said teachers have been inundated with book reviews after the extended weekend, so it appears students already are diving into the challenge.

Students also will be randomly selected to join the school’s secret Books and Breakfast Club if they are caught reading.

Gurwell said Superintendent Lyn Rantz also has been challenged to read 20 books by the end of the semester.