With Levi’s Stadium hosting the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 7, 2019, the Bay Area Host Committee and Extra Yard for Teachers hosted a professional development session for for Bay Area teachers on May 18. Extra Yard for Teachers is part of the College Football Playoff Foundation.
“We figured a great way to wrap up today was to bring the Bay Area host committee and Extra Yard for teachers back in front of these folks and talk to them about something that they brought up during the day, which was a lot of times materials and resources in classrooms are scant,” said 49ers’ EDU Deicer and the Bay Area Host Committee Education Director, Jesse Lovejoy. “They’re ending spending their own money out of pocket to deal with these things…We waited until the end of the day and then we surprised each educator with a $2,000 gift card to DonorsChoose.org.”
This event was the first of a number of similar events that will be held between now and the January 7, 2019.
Beyond Innovation Conference
Just a few days after the above, on May 22 and 23, the San Francisco 49ers hosted their second annual Beyond Innovation Conference at Levi’s Stadium. Per the 49ers, the Conference focused on education’s role in activism and citizenship; the positive and negative impact of technology on society; and the potential of virtual reality and experiential learning.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Mae Jemison, who was the first woman of color in space, while representatives from the Minnesota Vikings, Nike, Google, Apple, and many others were in attendance. All in all, there were over 200 participants.
Students from the 49ers STEM Leadership Institute participated in a Hack Challenge run put on by 49ers EDU partner Chelsea F.C. as well.
*All photos provided by 49ers.com.