The College Football Playoff Foundation and the University of Notre Dame Athletics Department kicks off their ninth year urging fans to go to the Extra Yard for Teachers today – a relationship that has raised nearly $5 million to benefit Catholic schools.
The Extra Yard for Teachers initiative raises awareness and funds for teachers in schools around the country. At Notre Dame, those proceeds directly benefit the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), which sends recent college graduates to teach for two years in underserved Catholic schools as they earn a master’s degree of education.
This year’s campaign includes a banner ceremony at Holy Cross School in South Bend, Indiana, and culminates with an on-field recognition ceremony of ACE teachers during the Notre Dame vs. Central Michigan game on September 16.
Through December 31, gifts made to ACE will be matched by the College Football Playoff Foundation, up to $100,000. These funds have provided critical support for ACE to refine and improve its degree program and enhance its recruitment efforts at Notre Dame and on college campuses across the country. Over the past eight years, Notre Dame has finished in first place among the 100 universities who participated in the Extra Yard for Teachers initiative.
“ACE’s partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation has been instrumental in growing the ways we can serve children, particularly those on the margins,” said John Staud, the executive director of ACE. “We are so grateful for the Foundation’s support.”
From the outset of the partnership, the Foundation has encouraged ACE to dedicate a portion of the funds toward a competitive grants process in which ACE teachers apply for funding to address areas of need in their schools and classrooms. Over the years, over $150,000 has been allocated for projects, and ACE teachers from 16 schools received grants last season.
The annual banner raising events at local schools have created greater bonds between the University and the local community and taught students the importance of dreaming and working toward college. This year, Salima Rockwell, Notre Dame’s Head Volleyball Coach, will speak to students at Holy Cross School on Wednesday, September 13. She’ll also present a Notre Dame banner to be hung at the school to help inspire students to set their sights on college.
Holy Cross School principal, Mrs. Annie Borjas, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and Spanish from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, a Masters of Education degree with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts and a Masters in Educational Leadership at the University of Notre Dame through the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Remick Leadership Program.
Contributions to ACE may be made online or by texting NDACE to 41444.