The San Francisco 49ers kicked off the fourth year of their STEAM education program yesterday, while also announcing the Dr. Harry Edwards “Follow Your Bliss” educator grant.
The 49ers, who won the 2017 ESPN Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award, had almost 400 students from the Bay Area to Levi’s Stadium to study “Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) through the lens of football.”
“Being with the 49ers, we got a great platform to really come out and get these kids into Levi’s with the STEAM program,” said center Daniel Kilgore. “…It’s really cool to see the kids being there, learning…and having fun with it.”
Kilgore spoke to fourth-grade students from San Jose’s Cherrywood Elementary School about the program and how math and football intersect in a variety of ways.
“When I was in elementary school, I wish I went to an NFL stadium and not your normal classroom,” said Kilgore. “…It’s a really cool experience for the kids, the teachers, and some of the parents I’m sure.”
Since it began in 2014, the STEAM program has had over 150,000 kids from kindergarten to eighth grade participate.
The “Follow Your Bliss” grant will be awarded to a full-time educator of K-8th graders and will provide $5,000 for materials benefitting the classroom.
