The Extra Yard, Vol. 3, Issue 7

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APRIL 2020 | VOL. 3, ISSUE 7

FOCUSED RESILIENCY

Greatness of Teachers Realized Even More in Wake of COVID-19 School Closures BY JAIME ARON

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ith the coronavirus pandemic forcing K-12 students into remote learning across the country, parents are rapidly gaining a new appreciation for the care, patience and expertise of teachers.

To the folks at the College Football Playoff Foundation, it’s further validation of the mission they’ve been pursuing since the organization began six years ago.

The CFP Foundation is the largest sports entity dedicated to supporting education. Through its Extra Yard for Teachers initiative, the organization is dedicated to elevating the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers in four core areas: resources, recognition, professional development and recruitment and retention.

There will be a time — soon, hopefully — to emphasize resources, Teachers are heroes...We need professional development and them now more than ever.” the twin challenges BRITTON BANOWSKY of recruiting and “Teachers are heroes,” said CFP retention. But for now, the Foundation Executive Director organization is pulling hard on Britton Banowsky. “We need them its recognition lever, joining the now more than ever.” chorus recognizing teachers for the

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vital role they play in the lives of their students and, by extension, in their communities.

The CFP Foundation is showing thanks by contributing to the Keep Kids Learning Fund through DonorsChoose.org, a website the organization has partnered with pretty much since day one.

The site enables donors to pay for some or all of the cost of things needed in public-school classrooms, such as books, furniture and new technology.

Typically, the materials are usually sent to the classrooms. There’s a different model for this rapid response effort.

“All donations go to teachers at schools serving low-income communities where nearly all students are eligible for free and

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reduced lunch,” reads the post on DonorsChoose.org/coronavirus.

“Teachers select the materials they need and distribute them to students at home.”

This campaign fits the kind of work the CFP Foundation has done during other, recent crises.

November 2018

Wildfires devastated the community of Paradise in Northern California, a few hours from Levi’s Stadium, site of the 2019 CFP National Championship. On game day, the Foundation handed over a check for more than $200,000 to the teachers of Butte County.

Banowsky wanted to do more; his idea was to target a single school.

During national championship week, he got to know Casey Taylor of Achieve Starter School and realized he’d found his match. The Foundation has since donated two 10-passenger vans to the school and worked with partners to cover insurance, registration and gas for a year.

EDUCATION UPGRADES: New vans were obtained for Achieve Starter School while state-of-the-art technology upgraded the media center at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

“We basically went to them and said, `What can we do?’” Banowsky said.

Because the school was inundated with offers, the Foundation offered to wait until the time was right to figure out the most appropriate response. Late last It makes you feel really good year, working with the Orange Bowl about the strength and and corporate generosity of humanity to lift partner School people back up.”

Specialty Inc., the CASEY TAYLOR CFP Foundation helped transform “It makes you feel really good the school’s library into a highabout the strength and generosity tech STEAM (Science, Technology, of humanity to lift people back up,” Engineering, Art and Mathematics) Taylor said.

Center dedicated in memory of those who lost their lives.

February 2018 “Our students and staff will 17 people died and 17 more benefit for years to come from were injured when a 19-year-old this,” said Michelle Kefford, the former student went on a shooting principal of Douglas High. “It’s

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state-of-the-art technology and it makes our media center more interactive. We could not be more grateful.”

The new equipment includes smart boards, virtual reality headsets and more.

“When I saw this, I couldn’t get the smile off my face,” said Diana Haneski, the school’s library media specialist. “I’m just so happy for what these kids are going to get to use and explore, and just learn and create.”

October 2019

Tornadoes devastated parts of Dallas and suburban Richardson, only a few miles from CFP headquarters, not far from the homes of some staffers. Many schools were ruined or damaged, forcing classes to be moved to alternate locations.

The Cotton Bowl, in partnership with the CFP Foundation, funded

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MAKEOVER UNVEIL: STEAM technology highlights the new Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School media center.

$100,000 for teacher projects through DonorsChoose.org. Then, in December, the Cotton Bowl Foundation and the CFP Foundation surprised 600 teachers from Thomas Jefferson High School, Edward H. Cary Middle School and Walnut Hill Elementary School with two tickets and a parking pass to the Cotton Bowl, plus $500 gift cards through DonorsChoose.

“The teachers at Thomas Jefferson were back in the classroom in three days,” said Finn Ewing, Cotton Bowl board member.

“That’s just amazing.”

There’s no playbook for responding to natural disasters,

on-campus emergencies or worldwide pandemics.

Yet teachers always find a way to put students first.

At the CFP Foundation, they take pride in honoring those selflessness educators.

“Teachers are special people to begin with — just for going into the RALLYING SUPPORT: Teachers whose schools profession,” Banowsky were displaced by tornadoes in Dallas were said. “What drives them surprised with DonorsChoose gift cards and is the achievement of tickets to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. their students. They can’t do that in a normal setting right volunteering, serving food, doing now, but I know a lot of teachers whatever they can to help. We’re are finding ways to serve their just so proud of them and the communities in other ways — contributions they make every day.”

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CONNECTING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Teachers are Finding Effective Ways to Teach Their Students in the Era of Social Distancing

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OVID-19 was not something any of us planned for, especially teachers, our most valued resource when it comes to educating our children.

More than 122,000 K-12 schools are physically closed across the United States, affecting thousands of teachers and more than 52 million students. Teachers have had to be creative to keep students engaged, and, most importantly, learning the material.

“The current situation in our country is obviously unprecedented,” said Shannon Grothues, a high school Physics teacher in Houston. “It’s been challenging, but we’re making it work. We’re committed to our students and utilizing many ways to keep them learning. I’ve been very pleased with their attitudes and cooperation.”

VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS: Teachers have adjusted quickly to teaching and connecting with students through virtual lessons through Zoom and other programs.

Classroom, Edmodo, or Schoology, among others.

“The problem is that there is no one-size-fitsall solution,” Grothues The problem is that there is said. “What works for no one-size-fits-all solution.” one school may not SHANNON GROTHUES work for another, and what might work for my Many teachers are tech-savvy class may not work for English or and have embraced teaching another subject. And unfortunately online, utilizing video and email, what works for one student may not with many connecting with students work for another either. and their families via education“Therefore you just have to based web services like Google simply do the best you can, keep

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communication lines open, work with your students, and be patient.”

Patience is a virtue, one of the hardest things that teachers have had to deal with.

“It’s not only turned the way we try to teach upside down, it’s stretched out the school day,” said Mike Hancock, a high school English teacher in Los Angeles.

“Communication has been a challenge because of the different hours at which my students look at the daily lesson and assignment.

Questions are emailed to me

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throughout the day and some text or call. Some of their parents work and can’t sit down with their kids to go over their school day until the evening. But we have stayed flexible.”

Chris Dier is the Louisiana Teacher of the Year for 2020, teaching World History and Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography at Chalmette High School in New Orleans. He’s one of thousands of teachers dealing with the new normal. Dier’s daily routine begins with grading papers and material.

He instructs his three main classes with video lessons and Zoom calls, then it’s on to answering emails and getting as much information to his students as possible.

“I think teachers, above all, need hope and inspiration right now,” Dier said. “I think the biggest thing that surprised me in all this was how much meaning teaching gives me and other teachers. You know, you wake up and you want to teach and you’re ready to go. And then all of a sudden, this wave comes crashing down that we have a new reality, we have new expectations to work with. It’s still busy, a very different kind of busy, and it’s just not the same without those social and emotional connections that you can build with students, but we’re trying to make it work.”

Then there’s the lack of infrastructure that teachers, schools and households are having to deal with. Dier spoke of many schools in the New Orleans area with infrastructure needs.

APRIL 2020 HONOREE

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Lynette Collins

any people in a correctional facility are not there by choice. But Lynette Collins thinks she is right where she belongs. The teacher and counselor at the LaPorte Juvenile Correctional Facility in Indiana, the state’s only all-girls corrections facility, provides instruction in history, government, economics, and sociology.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson she teaches her students, though, is how to manage life’s challenges. Collins faced trauma herself in her youth which helps her relate to her students.

“First, she listens,” says her supervisor, Laura If you want to make a Gorbonosenko. “Even if difference in the lives they are wrong, she lets of America’s youth, and them get it out, and then impact them positively, explains why it may not be the best type of thinking, where can you have a that there might be a greater impact than in better way to go about correctional?” it. She allows them to be LAURA GORBONOSENKO wrong or angry or sad and still have dignity, but helps them to see for themselves that there is a better way to do things.”

Her students attest that Collins not only engages them with their academic work, she also helps support and coach them through personal and behavioral problems.

As the school’s principal says of Collins, “If you want to make a difference in the lives of America’s youth, and impact them positively, where can you have a greater impact than in correctional?”

Visit honored.org to read Lynette Collins’ full story.

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REMOTE LEARNING TEACHER AND PARENT RESOURCES

I STAYING CONNECTED: Teachers are once again going the Extra Yard, staying available for their students all hours of the day.

“We’re trying to get Chromebooks for all the students, as well as hotspots for them and internet access in general,” he said.

“I knew it was an issue, but this (current situation) really highlights discrepancies in equity when some kids are just fine with the Internet and can watch all the videos and do everything, and other students — not so much. But we’re all finding ways to connect with each student, regardless of their situation. Every one of them is important to us.”

Just like in the classroom, any distractions while distance learning

f there is one thing we know, it’s that educators know how to adapt quickly and we’ve witnessed exactly that in how they have responded to the current national pandemic. With schools closed in nearly every state, education leaders have quickly transitioned to remote learning to keep kids learning.

We have collected a list of resources available to both teachers and parents which you can reach by clicking here. We will continue to identify best practices and continue to update this linked page to share available online resources as we continue this move to virtual teaching. #TeachOn

buttons. Parents, siblings and even pets inadvertently walk in front of computer screens during video calls. But overall, students rate it a success according to many teachers.

“There have been hiccups, and there always will be, but my students know that we all care about them and that we’re all in There have been hiccups, the same boat,” said and there always will be, but Joel Bergman, a History teacher in Yonkers, my students know that we New York. “All of the all care about them and that teachers and staff help we’re all in the same boat.” each other too. Those JOEL BERGMAN that are challenged are quickly adapting, and can be a challenge. Ringing cell we share best practices and tips. I phones sometimes can disrupt an can tell you this — we are all a lot online class, as all students aren’t better at this than we were when in the habit of using their mute this started a few weeks ago.”

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The collaborative effort among schools and teachers across the country has been a huge key in making distance learning work for everyone. Teachers are obviously vital to all of us and it’s easy to see why — they refuse to make the current situation anything but a success.

“I’ve learned that education is really difficult without that social connection and trust that you build person to person in the classroom,” Dier said. “But I’ve also learned that it’s doable. And students can persevere and be resilient and manage. It might shake them a bit, but it’s not going to break them. And that’s something I think we need to always keep in mind throughout all of this - humans are connected more than ever, even though we have to be as distant as ever.”

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LONGTIME PARTNER ECKRICH JOINS CFP FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT AND RECOGNIZE TEACHERS IN ERA OF STAYING AT HOME $5,000 TO BE AWARDED WEEKLY AS PART OF EFFORT TO SHARE INSPIRING STORIES OF THOSE GOING THE EXTRA YARD

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he College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation hosted an Extra Yard for Teachers (EYFT) A+ Lunch for teachers and staff at Audubon Charter School in New Orleans on Tuesday, September 10. The event was part of a series of special teacher appreciation lunches, put on by the CFP Foundation in partnership with the New Orleans National Championship Local Organizing Committee and EYFT supporters. Approximately 75 faculty were treated to meals provided by Chick-fil-A and Dr Pepper, as well as given swag bags full of goodies, courtesy of Entergy.

“Celebrating and supporting teachers is one of our primary efforts, and there is no better place to do it than on school campuses where teachers and educators work so hard to make a difference for our kids,” said CFP Foundation Executive Director Britton Banowsky. “In essence, we’re getting a head start on Extra Yard for Teachers Week, our annual celebration of teachers. We’re thrilled to partner with the New Orleans Local Organizing Committee on the Extra Yard for Teachers A+ Lunch series.”

“Our city’s teachers are leading our students to achieve great things and deserve our deepest appreciation every day,” said NOLA Public Schools Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “The A+ Lunches sponsored by the College Football Playoff Foundation are a small yet significant way to thank our educators for their hard-work

and dedication that mold our students’ lives in a positive direction. As a former teacher myself, I want to encourage the entire community to thank and celebrate our educators day in and day out.”

The CFP Foundation and EYFT uses the popular platform of college football and the CFP National Championship to support education across the country. A primary focus of the efforts in New Orleans is teacher recruitment and retention in New Orleans public schools, since there has been a lack of stability in the teacher workforce. A key part of this effort is recognizing teachers. Celebration events have been planned to engage with all 2,700 teachers in the system, including a series of A+ Lunches. In addition, a Rock ‘n’ Bowl event is scheduled for September 27 and events around a Tulane home football game, among others.

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MAGICAL MAKEOVERS

The CFP Foundation Works with Schools and Partners to Create New and Improve Learning Environments

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very student deserves the right to have access to the tools and technology they need to help them learn. That’s the CFP Foundation’s belief at least, and the organization is focused on helping make that a reality for teachers and students, one school at a time.

Through its classroom makeover initiative and with the help of School Specialty, Inc., Lakeshore Learning and others, the CFP Foundation continues to expand its work in transforming school spaces in communities all across the country.

A transformed learning environment can result in enthusiastic learners.

Recently the CFP Foundation worked with the Big 12 to make media center makeovers possible for three communities in the conference footprint, as well as with the Capital One Orange Bowl and Miami-Dade County Public Schools on two campuses in the Miami area.

The Big 12 classroom makeovers took place at Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy in Kansas City, Missouri; Mountainview Elementary School in Morgantown, West Virginia; and Ames Middle School in Ames, Iowa. The Florida makeovers took place at Henry H. Filer Middle School and Citrus Grove Middle School, both in the Miami area.

The makeovers are made possible through grants that the CFP Foundation distributes among its 10 conference partners, the University of Notre Dame, and bowl games.

The most recent makeover came in early March, featured at Kansas

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NEW DIGS: Libraries and media centers are being upgraded in Miami and across the country, including the footprint of the Big 12.

City Girls Preparatory Academy, where a centrally located room which students previously used for storage was transformed into a space where they can learn in a welcoming environment. This new space comes equipped with items from Lakeshore’s exclusive line of FlexSpace classroom furniture, digital learning tools, library materials, whiteboards and other educational resources to enhance students’ ability to further their understanding of the content taught in the mainstream curriculum or to explore other interests on their own.

Most makeovers take place in school libraries, many of which have not been updated in a long time, sometimes decades. New carpeting, improved lighting and flex-space classroom furniture are staples of the makeovers, as is a key ingredient — technology.

Several of the new spaces include virtual reality (VR) labs as part of the makeovers, courtesy of Veative Labs, a developer of immersive learning and training solutions using 3D, augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality technologies.

Partnering with the CFP Foundation, Veative has added to these labs its state-of-the-art EduPro VR headsets designed specifically for education, a storage system, teacher professional development and a three-year subscription to Veative’s full suite of over 500 interactive science and mathematics content modules and analytics. The makeover at Henry Filer Middle School includes the Veative technology.

“Empowering teachers with supplies and resources they need is one of the best ways to make an impact in a child’s education well before college,” said CFP Foundation

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Executive Director Britton Banowsky.

“We thank all of our partners — the conferences, bowl games and sponsors like School Specialty — to support and recognize teachers, who have such a tremendous impact on the education of our country’s future.”

“We are fortunate to have the opportunity to impact these communities beyond intercollegiate athletics,” added Big 12 Conference Commissioner Bob Bowlsby.

“Providing makeovers to essential school spaces like a renovated library gives educators and students a collaborative learning environment to help achieve academic success.”

The media center makeover projects continue to be a priority for the CFP Foundation, including more planned for South Florida this year with the 2021 CFP National Championship slated for Miami.

SUPPORT CHILDREN IN NOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The CFP Foundation has joined the Allstate Sugar Bowl and others in providing funding for students who need internet access at home. Learn more or contribute to children in New Orleans — through hotspots and other needs.

GOING THE EXTRA YARD TO KEEP KIDS LEARNING

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n the wake of the COVID-19 nationwide crisis, schools were closed in almost every state and many for the rest of the school year. As the education system prepared for transition to remote learning, teachers found themselves on the front-line to ensure that student development and learning continues.

The CFP Foundation appreciates the tremendous contribution that they make every day and, during this crisis, recognized how quickly teachers began to step up to give parents and students what they need to stay focused and keep learning. The College Football Playoff Foundation in partnership with Eckrich Meats, NFL Foundation, AllState Sugar Bowl, Florida Citrus Sports and others have stepped up to support teachers through

a $220,000 donation of resources, inspirational messages, and story-telling.

DonorsChoose.org, a long time partner of the CFP Foundation, is a classroom funding site for public school teachers and has committed to getting teachers what they need to give every student a great education with the Keep Kids Learning Fund.

Usually, funded supplies are shipped directly to classrooms in need. With schools closed, this new pilot program empowers teachers to get supplies directly to students at home. Click here for more about DonorsChoose.org and the Keep Kids Learning Fund that supports resources for teachers and students.

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