The Extra Yard – Vol. 1, Issue 4

OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF

DECEMBER 1, 2017 | VOL. 1, ISSUE 4

CRAYONS TO MICROSCOPES College football supports K-12 classrooms nationwide

BY JAIME ARON

S

omewhere in SEC country, an elementary school may soon have the tools needed for arts and crafts projects — crayons and modeling clay, charcoal pencils and drafting pads, plus paint brushes, paint and canvases.

Somewhere in the Pac12 footprint, a middle school classroom may soon have a new Smart Board, the combination whiteboard and video monitor that has become the modern upgrade to a chalkboard.

And somewhere in the Big Ten territory, a high school science lab may soon have new microscopes

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and centrifuges, beakers and electronic balances, test tubes and dissection kits.

The benefactor providing these tools for learning and discovery?

None other than college football.

In partnership with the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation and its Extra Yard for Teachers platform, the 10 conferences in the Football Bowl Subdivision and its member institutions are supporting teachers and students in direct, meaningful ways, often manifesting in what can generally be referred to as school supplies. Altogether, the CFP Foundation has invested over

$15 million through its partnerships since 2013, including $3.75 million through the FBS conferences and the University of Notre Dame.

“These partnerships create an authentic way to connect the values of intercollegiate athletics to education and to use the stage of college football to shine a light on the amazing contribution of teachers,” said Britton Banowsky, CFP Foundation Executive Director.

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby called this partnership a great way to thank teachers. “Teachers make a difference every day in the lives of their students,” said Bowlsby. “They

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truly teach for the love of teaching, helping students to learn and grow, and for that, we should be thanking them every day.”

ACC Commissioner John Swofford echoed those thoughts, saying, “The impact and value of teachers is immeasurable. We are proud to partner with the College Football Playoff Foundation to honor

each conference puts its own spin on how it gives back through Extra Yard for Teachers. Here is a look at their unique and often creative impact strategies: AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE Each of the 12 member institutions gave $10,000 to schools in the university’s local community for school supplies and other materials through DonorsChoose.org, a crowdfunding platform that allows donors to fund classrooms and projects that are requested by teachers.

An additional $10,000 was donated through DonorsChoose.org in conjunction with the conference’s football media day community service event in July.

The impact and value of teachers is immeasurable.

We are proud to partner with the College Football Playoff Foundation to honor educators and provide much-needed resources.”

JOHN SWOFFORD educators and provide much-needed resources.”

Just as there exists is a mix of communities and playing styles,

To conclude the season, each of the participating teams in the 2017 American Football Championship on December 2 will receive a $10,000 grant to support local schools in an impactful way.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE (ACC) Throughout the season, support through Extra Yard for Teachers included in-game recognition of local teachers, coach and student-athlete testimonials about teachers on social media and select classroom project requests funded through DonorsChoose.org.

The week leading up to the Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game on December 2 will include the funding of DonorsChoose.org projects in Charlotte and in the communities of the Atlantic and Coastal Division Champions; DonorsChoose.org gift cards given to the principals of each school that participated in the ACC United Way Reading Challenge; and, the CharlotteMecklenburg Teacher of the Year finalists will be recognized on the field and presented DonorsChoose.org gift cards.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: On-field recognition is just one way college football is showing its support of teachers.

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BIG 12 CONFERENCE More than 100 student-athletes were featured in the Big 12 Champions for Life campaign, which enabled them to recognize a teacher who made a lasting impact during their academic journey. Each of these

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teachers will receive a $1,000 gift card from DonorsChoose.org and be featured in the student-athlete’s testimonial about how that teacher made a difference in his or her life.

BIG TEN CONFERENCE In coordination with the 2017 Big Ten Football Championship Game on December 2 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Big Ten and Indiana Sports Corp will recognize 15 teachers across the state. Each of the teachers (kindergarten through eighth grade) will be awarded a grant to enhance educational efforts in their respective classrooms and schools. The CFP Foundation and Big Ten plan to partner for upcoming activations in Chicago and New York City later in the academic year.

CONFERENCE USA (C-USA) Each C-USA member institution received $10,000 in gift cards from Michaels, a craft specialty retailer, and distributed to local teachers to purchase school supplies for their classrooms. The gift cards were given out on the field at home football games and promoted on social media and digital platforms. At the C-USA Football Championship on December 2, the host institution will grant an additional $1,000 Michaels gift card to a local school district, and the conference will announce a social media sweepstakes for all recipients to have the chance to win an additional $500 Michaels gift card.

DECEMBER HONOREE

M

MR. VIGNARAJAH

r. Vignarajah (V)’s story begins in a country then called Ceylon as a boy who learned to do math using tamarind seeds and to write the letters of the alphabet by drawing them in the sand. Mr. V’s life journey led him to be an educator who embraced teaching as a lifelong vocation, despite changes in country and culture.

A physics lab in Baltimore at Western High School, the oldest public all-girls school in the United States, is where Mr. V could most recently be found at the age of 80. Mr. V left Ceylon after it became Sri Lanka because the country was on the brink of a civil war, and he found his new home in America, teaching in Baltimore for over four decades.

“If I’d wanted life to be easier I would have taken some other job,” said Mr. V. “Other places you work, you deal with files, folders. But you are talking about a child’s life here, and if you miss the chance their life is just blasted. How can anyone say that is not an important job?”

Visit www.honored.org to read Mr. Vignarajah’s full story which was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and New York Times columnist, Anna Quindlen.

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE (MAC) Each community surrounding the conference’s 12 universities was

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provided a $5,000 grant which was distributed to local elementary and secondary schools to fund educational initiatives. In addition, through the support of the CFP Foundation, Cleveland Foundation and The George Gund Foundation, the MAC secured $1 million to support the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and TEACHing Cleveland, a program that focuses on teacher recruitment, mentoring and retention. These funds will be distributed over the next five years.

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE Eight Mountain West member institutions — Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State, San José State and UNLV — requested grants of up to $10,000 for donations to elementary and secondary schools to fund programs that make a direct impact on teachers and students in and around their communities.

In addition, teachers within the Mountain West footprint submitted individual classroom project requests of up to $1,000 through DonorsChoose.org. The cumulative impact supported 2,500 teachers in more than 1,000 schools, benefiting 68,601 students.

PAC-12 CONFERENCE The season-long support of Extra Yard for Teachers included mascots visiting school pep rallies, in-game check presentations for teacher grants, student-athletes and coaches recognizing teachers who have made a difference in their lives, as well as additional coverage on the Pac-12 Network.

In addition, each university gave grants between $10,000 and

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NEXT GENERATION: While teachers are the focus of Extra Yard for Teachers, the impact on future generations are undeniable. $11,500 to support K-12 education, plus an $11,500 grant will be awarded at the 2017 Pac-12 Football Championship Game on December 1 to a local teacher from the Santa Clara area to benefit his or her students.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE (SEC) Each week, SEC Nation, the SEC Network’s traveling pregame show, aired a feature story on a student-athlete who recognized a teacher who made a difference in his or her life. Each teacher’s school received a $10,000 grant to use towards classroom supplies and materials. In coordination with the 2017 SEC Football Championship on December 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, the CFP Foundation and SEC will be making a $10,000 donation to Atlanta Public Schools.

SUN BELT CONFERENCE Nearly 360 New Orleans teachers will have the opportunity to participate in the Science of Sport, a program that generates new ways to connect science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to football, basketball and baseball. The aim is to use sports and hands-on learning to improve student interest and performance.

The $150,000 effort is expected to reach about 18,000 students.

The program began with a footballcentric event in September, with the other two sessions set for the spring.

Between the CFP Foundation, FBS conferences and their member institutions, a difference is being made for teachers and students across the country. Teachers are the real champions, and the CFP Foundation and its partners will continue to support and recognize them.

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TEACHERS ARE TRUE CHAMPIONS

2016 National Teacher of the Year, Jahana Hayes, recounts the Teacher of the Year Championship Experience

BY JIMMY BURCH

A

s an invited participant to last year’s Teacher of the Year Championship Experience, developed by the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation and sponsored by Dr Pepper, Jahana Hayes anticipated crossing paths with notable names in the college football world. She envisioned meeting entertainers who would attend the championship festivities.

Championship between Clemson and Alabama.

“The crazy thing is, the teachers were the ones who were treated like VIPs the entire weekend,” Hayes said. “As a teacher, you don’t even look for that. You kind of forget that you deserve it. Everywhere we went, we were always introduced. We were always hosted.

We were celebrated.

It was unbelievable, everything about it.

It felt really good to be a teacher that weekend.”

That is precisely how Britton Banowsky, Executive Director of the CFP Foundation, wanted the 56 State Teachers of the Year to feel as the College Football Playoff’s charitable arm shined the spotlight on the teaching profession with activities that included the Extra Yard for Teachers Summit, Extra Yard for Teachers Lounge, Extra Yard 5K

Everywhere we went, we were always introduced.

We were always hosted.

We were celebrated.

It was unbelievable, everything about it. It felt really good to be a teacher that weekend.”

JAHANA HAYES All of that happened. However, she was not fully prepared for what she encountered in Tampa, Florida during the weekend leading up to the College Football Playoff National

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and Taste of the Championship.

Teachers also received VIP hospitality access to the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! concert series and Championship Tailgate events.

The pinnacle of the weekend occurred when the teachers were recognized at halftime of the national championship game. The honorees, selected by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), included Hayes, the 2016 National Teacher of the Year.

A fresh crop of honorees will head to Atlanta for this year’s CFP title game, with a similar set of activities stretching from January 6-8, 2018. Hayes, a high school social studies teacher in Waterbury, Conn., urges the next wave of teachers to prepare for an experience unlike any other aimed at uplifting educators. It’s all part of the CFP Foundation’s commitment to build on the $15 million it has raised in support of

FAMOUS FACES: Hayes is greeted by Dr Pepper pitch man Larry Culpepper.

of Community Relations, said the initiative is “All about supporting teachers. We’re unabashedly out there using our partners to elevate the teaching profession.”

Hayes embraces the support she witnessed last year in Tampa.

She still marvels at the unexpected perks from her trip: a post-concert opportunity to interact with singer Rachel Platten; a peek at the Heisman Trophy; multiple opportunities for first-rate fine dining and a chance to see her

At every stage, we were treated like VIPs and it was beyond what I could have ever imagined. … I know the power of education, and I know that it works.

To be given this platform to share that with people has been amazing.”

JAHANA HAYES education through the Extra Yard for Teachers platform since 2014.

Ryan Allen Hall, the CFP Director

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larger-than-life image on the jumbotron scoreboard at Raymond James Stadium while being cheered by a sellout crowd.

“The whole weekend, Britton kept saying, ‘Thank you for what you do,’” said Hayes, who took in the extended weekend of activities with her husband, Milford Hayes.

“I’m thinking, ‘You’re the college football guy and you’re thanking us?’ It was beyond cool. And he was so genuine. I thought the teachers would be an afterthought with the game in town. But we weren’t. There was as much attention paid to the teachers as to the players, and you can never be prepared for that.”

To Hayes, who spent the 201617 school year making more than 200 public appearances in her role as National Teacher of the Year,

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her profession is particularly meaningful because of the unique path she took to become a teacher.

“I was on the verge of dropping out of high school because I got pregnant,” said Hayes, who went on to become the first member of her family to finish college.

“That has made this experience so incredibly emotional.”

The significance hit home when Asia Clermont, the daughter that Hayes delivered as a teenager, followed her mother into the teaching ranks and wept openly when Hayes was honored at the White House by then-President Barack Obama as the 2016 National Teacher of the Year. Among Hayes’ travels while holding that title, two trips stood out.

Meeting and interacting with the President and First Lady, in Hayes’ estimation, offered a pinch-me moment she will never forget.

“Whatever you’re thinking, it was 10 times better than that,” Hayes said. “As a social studies teacher, just the office of the President has me in awe. To be honored by the President for my work as a teacher was so surreal for me.”

Also ranking as a pinch-me moment: her time in Tampa while being recognized by the CFP Foundation.

“This whole year has been tremendous. But I’d have to say that was a highlight,” Hayes said.

“At every stage, we were treated like VIPs and it was beyond what I could have ever imagined. I know the power of education, and I know that it works. To be given this platform to share that with people has been amazing.”

January 6, 2018 | 10 AM – 6 PM ET Georgia World Congress Center

H

ey teachers, the Extra Yard for Teachers Lounge is just for YOU! College Football Playoff Foundation partners are coming together to build activations and experiences to continue the celebration of teachers during the weekend of the national championship game.

Here’s what you can look forward to:

+ Pop-up book store + Relaxing chair massages + Recharge Stations + Giveaways + Fun experiential activities like handwriting analysis + Photo Booth + Special guest appearances + Opportunities to share your teaching story + Concierge Service + And more interactive experiences!

RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY!

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