Seahawks encourage students to achieve their goals

“Holy Moley!” yelled a fifth-grader from Oakwood Elementary in Lakewood as he stepped on to the field in Qwest Stadium and took in the view. Holy Moley is right. I just returned from the Seahawks and Communities in Schools First and Goal celebration and my ears are still ringing.

Thankfully, it was all for a good cause. Through the Communities in Schools program more than 600 students from Auburn, Lakewood, Puyallup, Seattle and Tacoma schools set and achieved personal improvement goals in academics, behavior, attendance and community service and were rewarded with a field trip and lunch with the Seahawks and SeaGals.

Fresh off of last night’s win against the 49ers, spirits were high as students arrived on Qwest Field and even higher when Seahawks Seneca Wallace, Rob Sims, Joe Newton, Leonard Weaver, Ben Obumano, Courtney Taylor and Kevin Hobbs arrived to honor the students’ achievement. Fullback Weaver sang a surprisingly beautiful rendition of the national anthem and then spoke about his personal road to the NFL, while encouraging students to continue to set goals, keep their focus and never give up.

Refreshingly, the event provided a nice blend of encouragement of goal-setting, as well as an emphasis on fitness and nutrition. Students participated in races around Qwest Field and a sandwich-building contest aimed at increasing their knowledge of the four food groups.

We’ve been in contact with the Seahawks for awhile now regarding getting the message out about the importance of math and science. In the near future, we hope to host an “education day” at a Seahawks game featuring our “Math Matters” public service announcements. More to come, so stay tuned.

Hat’s off to the more than 600 students who achieved their goals over their designated six to eight week timelines, as well as the Seattle Seahawks, Communities in Schools and Costco for their support of the First and Goal program.