Education Law

Crank up the terrible towel

Pittsburgh Steelers fans come as die-hard as can be in the world of the NFL. Their success on the field is well documented, and those who attend the games are often granted the beloved "terrible towel" to wave like windmills until their arm falls off (if only we could harness that wind-power, but that's another entry).

It's no wonder that we caught this article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette about head coach Mike Tomlin helping Pittsburgh's Public Schools pump up the freshman class. As part of the "Pittsburgh Promise" program, the city is rallying together with the help of the University of Pittsburgh and other donors to potentially give the class of 2012 up to $40,000 each to go to college. They'll have to work hard for that money and show perseverance and dedication, but Coach Tomlin knows they can do it. He spoke to almost 2,000 freshman who are part of the Ninth Grade Nation. The hope in Pittsburgh is by gathering these students together at Heinz Field, it will unite them and help them gel into a city wide team. There's a lot at stake for the students and the city in general. These students are part of a mission, like in many American cities, to turn things around. As the coach said, "I'm rooting for you. Hopefully you're rooting for us." What's your community doing to motivate the future?

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on September 23, 2008 (boomark / email).