ExcelU

Willie Burton (seated) with President Carey and resilience coaches Cornelius Shields and Anthony Allen.

ExcelU: We Believe in Play

From as long ago as Uncle Floyd’s original creed, the vital nature of self-expression developed through play has been a cornerstone of Starr Commonwealth. While this has taken many forms over the years, most recently through Starr Albion Prep’s thriving basketball, volleyball, and track teams on campus, its emphasis in Starr’s training has stopped short of concrete solutions. Instead, we strive to instill this belief in all we work with, and allow each school or organization to bring it to life in their own unique ways. In 2020, Starr will take a significant step forward in focusing our trauma-informed, resilience-focused lens on the student-athlete—with an approach that sparks the leader in all regardless of athletic ability.

Educated Stars of Tomorrow, LLC (ESOT), founded by Willie Burton in 2011, has spent the past nine years developing ExcelU, a school- and community-based curriculum that unifies academic success and health-wellness for students. Using a multifaceted approach, this curriculum engages both students and student-athletes to equip them with the necessary tools to maneuver the complexities of student life leading into adulthood.

Leveraging their proven success in designing and implementing social-emotional and eLearning curriculum, ESOT has partnered with Starr Commonwealth to enhance ExcelU, as well as produce online learning platforms for schools and communities to extend its reach well beyond its current in-person capacity. Development of Starr-produced content will begin immediately.

“I have cherished the opportunity to become more familiar with Willie and his passionate organization, reaching youth around the country through the importance of academics, athletics, and overall wellbeing,” says Starr Executive Vice President and COO Derek Allen. “Educated Stars of Tomorrow works to accomplish exactly what Starr strives for as well: creating positive experiences so all children and communities flourish. In that sense, this partnership is not a new relationship, but the coming together of once-unacquainted allies to stand side-by-side for the success for children. We are honored to be selected to help expand the impact of ExcelU. Having witnessed the enthusiasm with which Willie shares his program with friends and colleagues, as well as his caring message he shared with Starr Albion Prep’s basketball team, he is the perfect teammate for Starr to help improve the lives of all children.”