ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference and the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation have jointly announced the continuation of their partnership to enhance the conference’s SCORE (Success Comes Out of Reading Everyday) Program at the Genevieve Melody STEM Elementary School in Chicago.
“The CFP Foundation and Big Ten partnership continues to make a difference in education,” said CFP Foundation Executive Director Britton Banowsky. “We are excited to extend this partnership to Melody School for the second consecutive year, and we are confident this donation will benefit the deserving teachers while enhancing the learning experience of the students.”
Since 1990, the Big Ten has partnered with the Melody School to expand and supplement education opportunities to children in the Chicago metropolitan area with the SCORE Program. More than 600 students attend the Melody STEM School ranging, from kindergarten to eighth grade. While the program centers around reading and educational initiatives, the extra funds provided by the CFP Foundation will benefit a multitude of areas for the school and students.
“The Big Ten and Melody STEM Elementary School have developed a tremendous partnership that started close to three decades ago. We are thrilled, once again, to enhance that partnership with the help of the CFP Foundation,” Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany said. “In addition to the meaningful work that is being done at Melody to promote early childhood learning and literacy, the impact of this new space will provide an exciting environment designed to encourage young boys and girls to engage even more in the learning process.”
In 2018, funds are being used for a classroom makeover through the CFP Foundation’s Extra Yard Classroom Makeover Project as one of the rooms at the Melody is being transformed into a multi-purpose room that will be used by students of all age groups with learning spaces, technology integration and a dedicated reading space to incorporate SCORE.
“We are so excited about this year’s classroom makeover,” said Magdalena Sandoval, STEM Integration Specialist. “We’ve diligently planned to make sure that this is a space that can accommodate all grade levels, while also meeting each child’s personal learning style. We appreciate the commitment of the Big Ten to our Melody students.”
Part of the SCORE program involves a book donation at the end of the year. Student of the Month recipients have been honored with a book that contains a personalized dedication on the inside cover. Each student that participates in the quarterly celebration is presented with their book, and the book can become part of his/her classroom library. Each book relates specifically to the student’s grade and reading level.
“The SCORE program continues to be an intricate partner to Melody STEM School,” said the school’s assistant principal Ashley Tam. “Besides continuing to promote literacy in and out of the classroom, SCORE has provided opportunities for students to be recognized by their teachers for monthly academic improvement. It is the little gestures that the Big Ten Conference does for our students that leaves a lasting impression on all of our students, staff, and parents.”
Each winter the SCORE program provides sweatshirts for all 600+ students. Additionally, a percentage of the money will be allocated to projects listed at Melody STEM School on DonorsChoose.org.
The activation marks the third educational initiative that the Big Ten and the CFP Foundation have partnered on during the 2017-18 academic year. In conjunction with the CFP Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers initiative, the Big Ten recognized 15 teachers at the 2017 Big Ten Football Championship Game in Indianapolis, while providing funds to enhance educational efforts in those teachers’ respective classrooms and schools. During the 2018 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament in New York City, students and teachers from the Literacy Inc. (LINC) program attended games and received an on-court recognition. LINC’s Comprehensive Literacy Model provides interconnected programming designed to mobilize existing resources in the neighborhood in order to deliver reading opportunities for children.
About the Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,500 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.
About the College Football Playoff Foundation and Extra Yard for Teachers
The College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation is the charitable arm of the College Football Playoff, supporting education across the country. The CFP Foundation’s primary platform, Extra Yard for Teachers, elevates the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers through the implementation of programs in four focus areas: resources, recognition, recruitment and professional development. The CFP Foundation utilizes multiple partnerships to execute its initiatives and support positive educational outcomes. To learn more, visit www.cfp-foundation.organd follow Extra Yard for Teachers (@CFPExtraYard) on social media.
