OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF
SEPTEMBER 2020 | VOL. 4, ISSUE 2
Y A D IG B ON ITI SPECIAL ED
A BIG DAY FOR TEACHERS
Thousands of Teachers Impacted During Massive Single-Day Effort BY DAVID LEE
#BIGDAYFORTEACHERS
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ntering an unprecedented media joined forces, resulting in college football season and over $4 million in investments 2020-21 school year, the directly impacting teachers and College Football Playoff Foundation K-12 education. kicked off its annual Extra Yard “It’s a national day of celebrating for Teachers (EYFT) Week with a teachers, saying thank you to bigger impact than teachers, and ever on Monday, supporting September 14 — a teachers,” said We are proud of one-day nationwide CFP Foundation celebration in Executive Director America’s teachers support of teachers Britton Banowsky. and honored that called the BIG DAY. “It was really college football It was the an awesome is in a position to largest singleexperience, and day effort of we’re so grateful support them in so community impact for our partners. It many ways. ever undertaken was like a tsunami by the extended of engagement.” BILL HANCOCK CFP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR college football “We are proud family. More than of America’s 250 universities, conferences, teachers and honored that college bowls, corporate partners and football is in a position to support
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them in so many ways,” said College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock.
KEY CONTRIBUTORS
Several exciting investments and partnerships were made that were central to the theme of the BIG DAY, including participation from current and future CFP National Championship sites. The CFP Foundation and Miami 2021 Host Committee announced a $2 million
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partnership to reinvent the learning atmosphere in approximately 20 Miami-Dade County middle schools with the goal of increasing student attendance and achievement. The initiative will transform media centers into spaces with enhanced GEAUX BIG! technology such Louisiana as virtual reality Teacher of headsets, and the Year Ms. Youngblood was modular and honored by the flexible furniture Allstate Sugar that enhance Bowl on the BIG DAY. comfort and creativity.
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West Virginia Head Coach Neal Brown surprised teacher Kevin Kieffer with some BIG resources.
national championship game host cities. On the BIG DAY, the Fiesta LOOKING FORWARD Bowl Organization announced Work is already underway in a $500,000 investment to 200 Indianapolis, the site of the 2022 Arizona K-12 teachers as part of CFP National Championship. A the Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes $200,000 investment in Teach for Teachers program that grants Indy has been teacher classroom implemented needs. to support the “They have been recruitment great partners They have been and retention and we were great partners of Indianapolis really happy they and we were teachers. To chose to make the help foster really happy they announcement the continued on the BIG DAY,” chose to make the importance Banowsky said. announcement on of virtual and The CFP the BIG DAY. remote learning, Foundation and an e-learning lab Cotton Bowl BRITTON BANOWSKY and statewide Foundation CFP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR platform will be honored Dallasdeveloped as area teachers a complementary element to via a $50,000 grant to Catch Up in-school learning. & Read and a $50,000 grant to The CFP Foundation also Urban Teachers—both geared to continues to positively impact past support professional development
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and recruitment of great teachers. Each teacher also received a $100 DonorsChoose gift card to help with school supplies and resources. In one of the biggest surprises of the BIG DAY, the CFP Foundation and the National Teachers Hall of Fame partnered for a surprise virtual announcement, informing five teachers that they were being inducted into the incoming hall of fame class. In addition, countless current and former college student-athletes and coaches, along with media members, thanked their former teachers and shared stories of teachers who made an impact in their lives. The hashtags #BigDayForTeachers and #ExtraYardWeek helped coordinate the social media efforts,
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while the “Tag a Te@cher” social media campaign spread awareness and highlighted specific teachers. The effort generated nearly one million social media impressions throughout the week.
ESPN INVOLVEMENT
ESPN highlighted Extra Yard for Teachers Week in multiple live game broadcasts, in addition to teacher recognitions and surprises on College GameDay. Teachers were presented with a total of $20,000 for classroom supplies and resources.
WE WENT BIG FOR TEACHERS
↑ GOING BIG LIVE
The ACC Network honored a few teachers while live on the air.
“It was really fun to watch the day unfold,” Banowsky said about watching the BIG DAY develop as a coordinated effort across the country. “We have fantastic partners and so many of them naturally wanted to be involved. We gave them assets to utilize and they went to work — universities, bowls, conferences, ESPN — all of them did something special. To see the creative expression of all these partners as they surprised teachers and involved the student-athletes in the process.”
#GreatTeachersChangeLives #ExtraYardWeek #BigDayforTeachers
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Y AON D IG B ITI ED SPECIAL 82 UNIVERSITIES CELEBRATED TEACHERS
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BIG CARDS
HILLTOPPER
Ball State did their part, awarding $1,000 for classroom resources to elementary teacher Katie Warner.
WKU had a blast surprising Zach Watts with $1,000 from Michaels.
TEACHER SURPRISES
Efforts with the Allstate Sugar Bowl surprised teachers in Lake Charles, Louisiana, an area that suffered significant damage from Hurricane Laura. Educators were each given DonorsChoose gift cards for classroom resources, and the Sugar Bowl surprise-funded nearly $10,000 for all DonorsChoose projects in Calcasieu Parish.
We are going through some tough times with Hurricane Laura and this donation brought tears to my eyes. MRS. SAVARIO LAKE CHARLES TEACHER
“Thank you so very much for your donation,” said Mrs. Savario, a teacher in Lake Charles. “We are
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going through some tough times with Hurricane Laura and this donation brought tears to my eyes. Our school is heavily damaged so we will have to go virtual in the near future. I can’t wait to communicate and teach my students with my new device.”
WIDESPREAD IMPACT
↑ BIG MAC
MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher surprised Kristen Carlin with some very exciting news.
The impact of the BIG DAY was so widespread that it attracted new partnerships with the CFP Foundation, including the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). “We had an opportunity with the American Football Coaches Association to expand our recognition programming to the high school level, ”Banowsky said
of the partnership. “High school coaches and football programs going out of their way to support teachers is a wonderful model. Thanks to the AFCA, we have about 100 high schools that are activating through our Give a Teacher a Game Ball program.” While these programs are undeniably fantastic, one of the simplest but most impactful gestures in appreciation of teachers
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VIDEO THE PLAYMAKER’S HERO: Before Michael Irvin became a three-time Super Bowl Champion or a Pro Football Hall of Famer, he had a special person who discovered him as a student in high school, a teacher named Tina Jones. She made a difference in his life, instilling confidence and the ability to believe in himself.
is offering lunch. Teachers at Rock Lake Elementary in Orlando were one of several communities surprised with a Chick-fil-A lunch on the BIG DAY. “Huge thank you for the yummy lunch,” said Rock Lake Kindergarten teacher Summer Harden. “What a delicious way to start the week off right! It really made our day!” “The pandemic has been really hard on students, it’s been really hard on the parents, and it’s also been really hard
on teachers,” Banowsky said. “Teachers have had to rise to the occasion and learn new ways to deliver education to their students and become experts in remote learning overnight. I think this was a much-needed pat on the back.” In its six years, the CFP Foundation has raised a total of $40 million, impacting more than 300,000 teachers and seven million students. The success of the BIG DAY laid the foundation for more in the future.
CONGRATS! “We had only positive reactions,” Banowsky said. “Putting this inside Extra Yard for Teachers Week made sense, and although we’ve not decided, in all likelihood, we’ll have another BIG DAY next season.”
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Y AON D IG B ITI ED SPECIAL NEW ORLEANS Twelve teachers in the NOLA Public Schools were honored at the virtual 2020 New Orleans Excellence in Teaching Award ceremony. Comedian Eddie B gave a congratulations video, as each educator received a $2,500 or $1,000 award, thanks to $10,000 grants from the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the CFP Foundation.
AWARD WINNER!
MIAMI ↑
The CFP Foundation and Miami 2021 Host Committee announced its impact strategy platform, a $2 million partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, providing significant support for the district’s innovative Middle School Redesign initiative by creating Innovation Spaces in middle schools. It includes the transformation of school media centers into spaces with enhanced technology, and modular and flexible furniture that bolsters comfort and creativity. As part of the strategy, they also partnered with the Anthony Abraham Foundation to redesign and makeover the media center at the SEED School of Miami — South Florida’s only public, college preparatory boarding school.
New Orleans Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henderson Lewis delivers award to NOETA winner Alexandra Mossing of Hynes Charter School.
Select teachers in Lake Charles, La., who suffered a major hit from Hurricane Laura were surprised with DonorsChoose gift cards for classroom resources, and a flashfunding of all of the DonorsChoose projects in Calcasieu Parish for a total of almost $10,000.
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The Capital One Orange Bowl surprised a local teacher with a $1,000 DonorsChoose card for classroom resources.
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With the help of our partners at School Specialty, we were able to provide a brand-new space for Foundation Prep in New Orleans — a $50,000 value. Investment in the professional development for teachers continued with the announcement of a Principal Collaborative initiative, which will begin in October. New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO) has created a school leadership succession planning kit, giving school leaders access to tools and best practices to ensure the school and its stakeholders are well set for new leadership — a $10,000 investment.
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ATLANTA NATIONAL TEACHERS HALL OF FAME
CLASS OF 2020 ANNOUNCED
T The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and CFP Foundation continue investing in Atlanta. The Big Day saw the Peach Bowl and Chick-fil-A donate lunches to some fantastic teachers, and Atlanta Public Schools new superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring got in on the action with a special message and surprise to 2nd grade teacher Shirley Pendergrass.
High school student-athletes make the best mentors and the CFP Foundation is proud to continue our work in Atlanta with a $150,000 investment in the academic mentoring programs at all Atlanta Public Schools High Schools.
he CFP Foundation joined the National Teachers Hall of Fame to announce the National Teachers Hall of Fame Class of 2020. Due to the pandemic, school assemblies could not be held in March, so VIRTUAL the announcement went ↑ virtual and the teachers ANNOUNCEMENT learned of their selection during a YouTube Live event which was emceed by CFP Foundation Ambassador Rachel Lindsay. This year’s inductees, announced by former US Secretary of Education Dr. John King, represent four different states and a variety of teaching backgrounds. Each inductee received $1,000 from the CFP Foundation and are scheduled to be formally inducted at the National Teachers Hall of Fame in Emporia, Kansas in June 2021.
25 ANDREW BEITER
8th grade Social Studies, Springville Middle School (NY)
31 THOMAS KNAB
K-4 Visual Art, Dodge Elementary School (NY)
33 Atlanta Public Schools teamed up with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to Tag a Teacher for a chance to win $500 in education resources.
DONNA GRADEL
10th-12th grade Environmental Science, Broken Arrow High School (OK)
21 MELISSA COLLINS
2nd grade, John P. Freeman Optional School (TN)
26 JAMIL SIDDIQUI
9th-12th grade Mathematics, East Bridgewater High School (MA)
= number of years of teaching
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Y AON D IG B ITI ED SPECIAL INDIANAPOLIS The CFP Foundation and 2022 CFP National Championship Host Committee announced a $200,000 investment in Teach Indy to support the recruitment, development, recognition, and retention of great teachers for Indianapolis schools. Teach Indy is a partnership between Indianapolis Public Schools, The Mind Trust, and the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation.
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WATCH!
The Mind Trust sent 50 Indy teachers $100 each to fulfill their DonorsChoose classroom projects.
LOS ANGELES The Rose Bowl shared in the fun with a surprise award of $1,000 towards student resources, while also partnering with the CFP Foundation in randomly selecting one educator per week this fall to receive a $500 DonorsChoose card through the Tag a Teacher effort.
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PHOENIX They also got in The PlayStation Fiesta Bowl announced the surprise act that it will once again honor, celebrate and by giving a lucky support Arizona teachers with the opening teacher $1,000 of applications for the Desert Financial for classroom Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers resources. program (now in its fifth year). The BIG DAY marked the launch of applications for Arizona K-12 public and charter school teachers at wishesforteachers. org, listing their school or classroom need. After meeting the criteria, wishes will be selected at random for 200 teachers to each receive a $2,500 grant, totaling $500,000.
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ORLANDO CENTRAL FLORIDA
BAY AREA
Florida Citrus Sports stepped up and provided support through LIFT Orlando, funding more than $8,000 in local DonorsChoose projects. Together with the College Football Playoff Foundation, they also delivered surprise A+ Lunches to teachers at five schools within the LIFT Orlando footprint.
USF football wears the EYFT helmet sticker in their game against Notre Dame to show support for teachers. Earlier in the week, they surprised Teacher of the Year Miranda Harwood with $1,000 for the BIG DAY.
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Former Heisman Trophy Winner Charlie Ward helped spread the good news and celebrate teachers on the BIG DAY.
Three teachers in the Bay Area were surprised with $1,000 DonorsChoose gift cards to use towards classroom and teaching resources as part of the BIG DAY, funded by the CFP Foundation and 49ers EDU. The selected teachers were chosen from peer nominations.
All 12 school s in the Pac-12 Conference participated in the BIG DAY.
NOTRE DAME
#BIGDAYFORTEACHERS
Thank you to Charles Best, founder and CEO of DonorsChoose and the entire DonorsChoose team for their partnership with the CFP Foundation. Over the years, we have given more than $8M towards projects for 13,000 teachers in 8,000 schools across the nation. And we’re not slowing down.
Emily Okawara, a fourth-grade teacher at St. Thomas More Catholic Academy in Washington, D.C. was honored by the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) with $1,000 towards class resources or projects. Okawara was one of 36 teachers nominated and was selected to use the prize money to implement a student-led Children Are Citizens project with her class.
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Y AON D IG B ITI ED SPECIAL DALLAS
The CFP Foundation and Cotton Bowl Foundation honored teachers via a $50,000 grant to Catch Up & Read and a $50,000 grant to Urban Teachers. These grants are geared to support and celebrate teachers for their dedication to education. Each teacher in attendance was also be presented with a DonorsChoose gift card to help with school supplies and resources.
ESPN went big for teachers during Extra Yard for Teachers week by showcasing stories about teachers during live game broadcasts, ACC and SEC conference network specials and special teacher recognitions and surprises on College GameDay. Teachers were presented overall with $20,000 in direct aid for classroom resources.
↑ SEC NETWORK
Peter Burns and his colleagues began the process of giving out $20,000 in DonorsChoose awards to teachers for classroom resources.
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The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) surprised a lucky teacher with a $1,000 gift card for classroom supplies. The AFCA also made a special effort to recognize teachers by encouraging all of its high school head coaches to select a teacher from their school to be recognized with a special Extra Yard for Teachers and AFCA Game Ball package.
#BIGDAYFORTEACHERS
NFL FOUNDATION NFL players were gracious enough with their time to surprise some special teachers with direct aid for classroom resources.
AIR TIME!
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NATIONAL PARTNERS & CONFERENCES PARTICIPATE IN TAG A TEACHER Conference USA and Michaels stepped up to help all schools on the BIG DAY. Conferences have kicked off a Tag a Teacher campaign to help provide resources to teachers all season long. Nike gave away a $1,000 shopping spree. The winner was a teacher who is also a basketball coach who plans on using the prize for shoes for the team. Veative gave away a chance for a school to receive access to a Veative WebXR Learning Content Suite. The winning teacher will be able to deliver the great news to the Living School New Orleans. Dr Pepper also got in on the fun with Tag a Teacher, with the chance for a teacher to win $1,000 in classroom resources. Small School Districts Association was another education network participating in Tag A Teacher to help expand our reach into over 600 smaller school districts.
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Eckrich helped teachers take a break with the Eckrich Tailgate Pack giveaway on the BIG DAY. This special Take a Break with Eckrich giveaway package that includes $5,000 in funds for classroom resources for each winner will continue weekly for 10 weeks throughout football season on EYFT social channels.
Lakeshore Learning stepped up with a $1,000 gift card and celebrating teachers on their social media platforms.
LITTLE KIDS ROCK JOINT PERFORMANCE Some teachers gathered to perform and sing. Sounds like a great opportunity to surprise them with $200 DonorsChoose gift cards.
Each year the Taco Bell Foundation awards scholarships through their Live Mas Scholars program. The 2020 Live Mas class has quite a few students that are pursuing a career path to education. This inspired the CFP Foundation and Taco Bell Foundation to team up together and provide these students with a special surprise and some words of inspiration from former Secretary of Education John King.
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