Recognizing Great Educators with the Life-Changing Teacher Awards
As each school year comes to a close, educators and students are often celebrated at awards ceremonies, which is the case with the Honored Schools Life-Changing Teacher Awards. Regional recipients for the 2024-25 academic year were selected from each by a local panel of community leaders in consultation with principals from Honored Schools. The selection criteria focuses on the important impact the honoree has made on his or her students’ lives. These award-winning teachers, who reside and work in communities that have previously hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship, each received $2,000 in DonorsChoose funds for classroom resources, plus a $500 Visa Gift Card cash award. These educators and their nominating students will also be featured on HonoredSchools.org
2025 WINNERS
ATLANTA
Amy Cossio
Amanda Sperberg
HOUSTON
Kaitlyn Floyd
Yolanda Merritt
James Moore
Cinthya Ramirez
Andrew Stewart
Renisha Wiley
INDIANAPOLIS
Sarah Dodd
Andrea Evans
Anne Fernkas
Gregory Lineweaver
Alma Maldonado
Rachele Yencer
INGLEWOOD
Catherine Etuk
Carlos Gonzalez
Efren Torres
NEW ORLEANS
LaQuinta Banks
Beau Bratcher
Roselyn Davis
An’Jel Moore
Aimee Veal
Victoria Williams
NOLA TEACHER FEST
Celebrating for Our Educators During Teachers Appreciation Week
More than 2,300 local educators, representing all 67 of New Orleans’ public schools, gathered at Champions Square on Friday, May 2, for New Schools for New Orleans’ fourth annual NOLA Teacher Fest, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff Foundation. The beloved annual celebration recognized the dedication of public-school teachers across the city with special acknowledgment for those who have served New Orleans students for 20 years or more, navigating the city’s greatest challenges such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
EXTRA YARD MAKEOVERS
Creating Better Learning Spaces One School at a Time
In the program’s history, the CFP Foundation has implemented more than 100 Extra Yard Makeovers, including 12 that have already been revealed in 2025. Between the start of the 2020-21 academic year through the end of the 2025-26 school year, all Miami-Dade schools in South Florida will have received a makeover on its campus.
Through the Go Teach Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway, the CFP Foundation’s Go Teach initiative continues its mission to address teacher shortages by encouraging student-athletes to pursue careers in education. This year, more than 100 studentathletes from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), including Notre Dame, plus Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), have benefitted. These efforts underscore the CFP Foundation’s commitment to elevating the teaching profession and supporting educators nationwide.
Now in the fifth year of a six-year program, Dr Pepper has invested $3 million into the recognition of the State Teachers of the Year at
the national championship game, as well as the current Go Teach Dr Pepper Tuition giveaway program. Since its launch, 479 student-athletes have been awarded a total of $1.7 million in tuition to support their goals to become a teacher and/or coach. By the end of the sixyear period, the program will have recognized nearly 600 student-athletes with more than $2 million in tuition assistance.
Congratulations to the 2024-25 Go Teach Dr Pepper Tuition Giveaway recipients and the 10 grand prize winners from each FBS conference and the HBCUs. All recipients received a tuition award of $2,500, while the grand prize honorees received an additional $10,000.
GO TEACH CELEBRATES FUTURE TEACHERS
When access to teaching programs and pipelines are provided as early as high school, it helps create a better chance to increase the pool and diversity of future classroom leaders. For that reason, as part of its Go Teach initiative, the CFP Foundation’s Grow Your Own platform provides high schools across the country with education and training programs to assist with the marketing and recruitment of future teachers. In addition to access to national recognition programs and tuition support for students, Go Teach Grow Your Own partners also receive swag and marketing
materials. The program began with a donation announcement of 500 devices to the students and families of Milby High School on behalf of AT&T and Compudopt. Soon after, Chris Massey (Vice President of Harris County Houston’s Sports Authority), Cary Wright (CEO of Good Reason Houston, and Tom Ramsey (Harris County Commissioner Precinct 3 practitioner) welcomed all in attendance and thanked them for their selfless commitments and servitude. Slam poet and emcee Joaquín Zihuatanejo then took the reins of the event and kicked off the heartwarming afternoon of motivation.
The program has been expanded to celebrate high school students in multiple markets. Last year the program celebrated close to 3,000 high school students:
MIAMI LOVES TEACHERS
The CFP Foundation is Making a Lasting Impact in South Florida Classrooms Ahead of the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship
As excitement builds for the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship, set for Monday, January 19 at Hard Rock Stadium, the CFP Foundation is already hard at work creating meaningful impact across South Florida — well beyond the game itself.
In collaboration with local partners, the CFP Foundation is rolling out a comprehensive strategy to support and celebrate educators across the region. Through its Extra Yard for Teachers (EYFT) platform, the CFP Foundation partners with institutions of higher education, as well as school districts, corporations and nonprofits, to elevate the teaching profession and improve student outcomes.
Each year, we collaborate with local educators and the host committee to ensure our strategy creates lasting, meaningful impact.
Education Fund and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. This program will provide current and future teachers with access to job boards, as well as professional development resources and access to community appreciation events. Learn more at miamilovesteachers.org. These efforts represent a $3 million investment by the CFP Foundation and Miami Host Committee in support of teachers across South Florida.
BRITTON BANOWSKY CFP FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Alongside the 2026 Miami Host Committee, the CFP Foundation has launched the Miami Loves Teachers platform, a long-term initiative developed with the
“The Orange Bowl has been a longtime partner and we are thrilled to build on our work in South Florida from the 2021 CFP National Championship, supporting educators by creating the Miami Loves Teachers community,” said Britton Banowsky, executive director of the CFP Foundation. “Each year, we collaborate with local educators and the host committee to ensure our strategy creates lasting, meaningful impact.”
COMING TOGETHER
The CFP Foundation, CFP Bowl Games and School Specialty are Helping Restore a Historic School in Southern California
The College Football Playoff Foundation, in conjunction with its Extra Yard Makeover partner School Specialty, as well as the six CFP bowl games, have joined together to pledge a total of $1.5 million toward the restoration of Eliot Arts Magnet School in Altadena, California, which was destroyed by the Eaton wildfire in January.
The CFP Foundation pledged a minimum of $1.2 million, and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential, and Allstate Sugar Bowl have all contributed to the effort. School Specialty has also donated approximately $300,000 to support the needs of the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD), including Eliot Arts. The initiative will also provide support to McKinley Middle School, where Eliot Arts students are currently relocated.
and Altadena and at Eliot Arts Magnet School,” said Britton Banowsky, executive director of the CFP Foundation. “It’s a historic moment as all of the CFP bowls are aligned to support this very important project.”
We are grateful to have so many generous partners willing to come together to help our friends in Pasadena and Altadena and at Eliot Arts Magnet School.
BRITTON BANOWSKY CFP FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
“We are grateful to have so many generous partners willing to come together to help our friends in Pasadena
The historic library at Eliot Arts was initially refurbished in 2023 through a partnership between the CFP Foundation, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the Pasadena Educational Foundation (PEF), and School Specialty. While the primary exterior structure of the school remained intact following the fires, the interior was severely damaged. In response, the PUSD board passed a resolution in January to rebuild the school.
The CFP Foundation and the Tournament of Roses have long supported PUSD and the PEF, providing teacher grants and library resources over the years. The CFP Foundation entered into a three-year grant agreement with the PEF to ensure sustained investment in the restoration of Eliot Arts.
