CFPF, ECU Athletics Assist Pitt County Schools With Extra Yard For Teachers

By Joe Corley
ECUPirates.com

Through an initiative from the College Football Playoff Foundation, ECU Athletics is helping to make learning a little easier for teachers and students in Pitt County Schools.

The primary philanthropic mission of the CFPF is the Extra Yard For Teachers program.

Last year, the initiative distributed $100,000 split two ways to the two schools participating in the American Athletic Conference football championship game, with the conference and schools utilizing DonorsChoose.org in determining how the money could best contribute to those particular communities. This year, that total was boosted to $150,000, with each school in The American getting $10,000 and the remaining $30,000 to be utilized by the conference for some of its initiatives.

In addition to the $10,000, ECU Athletics also received $500 for registering to be a participant. Armed with $10,500, ECU logged on to DonorsChoose.org to find 28 projects from schools in Pitt County seeking funds. It was able to fully fund 21 of them, with the remaining seven each getting $500 or more to go toward their goals.

"As we know, teachers use a lot of their own money for their classrooms," ECU Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Fan Engagement Greg Herring said. "DonorsChoose.org provides them a platform to go in and ask for assistance from people who are willing to help."

According to the Education Market Association, teachers on average spent about $500 of their own money on classroom expenses last year, with one in 10 spending $1,000 or more.

Elizabeth Howard, a sixth-grade teacher at Wellcome Middle School, teaches many students from low-income families or who are in ESL classes. She sought funds for the purchase of whiteboards in her classroom, enabling students to work out problems and easily erase mistakes instead of having to use paper, pencils and erasers, which can be costly.

"Having my DonorsChoose project funded allowed my students and I to have resources in our classroom that I wouldn't otherwise have because of funds," Howard said. "I think DonorsChoose is a great resource for teachers and it really shows us that there are people who care about students and teachers and are willing to help them get these resources into their classrooms."

According to Herring, the range of requests on DonorsChoose.org from schools in Pitt County was from as low as $170 to as much as $1,900. In total, there was more than $14,000 in resources requested.

"Teachers wanted funding for technology purposes, or for reading or other projects," Herring said. "Instead of selecting based on purpose, we chose the route of having the biggest impact regardless of your project focus to make sure everyone got something."

At D.H. Conley High School, Jessica Harrison teaches exceptional children, who may require more and more diverse methods of learning. She was searching for funding to purchase technology to access programs for social and emotional development.

"I am incredibly grateful for the generous donation from ECU Athletics as it takes me one step closer to my goal of providing iPads for my students with disabilities," Harrison said. "Students will have the opportunity to use self-regulation apps as well as practice life skills such as interviewing or having meaningful conversations with others through programs such as FaceTime or Skype. Practicing these skills within the safe classroom setting prepares my students to be productive citizens."

Herring learned of the expanded initiative at The American spring meetings in May. ECU is in Greenville, the only true "college town" in a league that includes universities in cities such as Houston, Memphis, Philadelphia, Orlando and Tampa. The money allotted could go a long way in an area such as this.

ECU meets regularly with representatives of Pitt County Schools, and at this year's meeting it provided the information about the EYFT initiative to disseminate to the teachers and principals.

"Long before we had conversations with the school district, people were already using (DonorsChoose.org), so apparently teachers knew about the site, which is great," Herring said. "I wish there was more money and more we could do with it. I wish we could've fully funded all 28 projects."

Kristin Justice also was seeking technology. Justice, an AIG teacher at G.R. Whitfield Elementary, has students use TinkerCad, a 3D printing website, to create projects. Her request was for a 3D printer so her students could see those projects become reality.

"The Extra Yard For Teacher initiative means being able to provide experiences and opportunities for my students," Justice said. "Because of this initiative my students will be able to bring their ideas and inventions to life with our new 3D printer. Also, it encourages our students to look for the good in everything we do. Our world has seen a lot of sadness lately — this initiative is a way for students to see good outweighing the bad."

At Wintergreen Intermediate, fifth-grade teacher Lauren Griffin is going a different route to help her students learn. Not all students do well sitting in a desk all day, so Griffin is seeking other options. She wanted to purchase cushions and chairs that allow for what she called "flexible seating."

"My students are active learners," Griffin said. "They learn best when they feel in control of their learning environment and are able to position themselves around the room in a work space that is catered to them. Having the opportunity to expand the flexible seating options in my classroom is priceless. My students and I are so thankful for ECU's generous contribution through the Extra Yard for Teachers initiative. My students will now be able to have several options for an alternative workspace, maximizing their potential for focus and success."

With the initiative having increased by $50,000 since last year, and with funds being dispersed by 12 schools in The American instead of two, it already has grown. As people learn more about how they can help, the hope is that it continues to grow and be helpful to many more schools, teachers and students.

"We, through the CFP Foundation and the American Athletic Conference, are providing seed money and covering what we can for now," Herring said. "If our platform allows that message to get to a bigger platform that teachers can request help, if we can be a resource for that and provide that outlet for notoriety, that's great."

It's easy to be a part of that growth. Go to DonorsChoose.org and type in "Pitt County NC" in the search field to find projects seeking funds.

CFPF, ECU Athletics Assist Pitt County Schools With Extra Yard For Teachers

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