MTA Today - Fall 2013

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Official Publication of the Massachusetts Teachers Association

New season for partnerships begins on high note

By Bob Duffy

A s the Boston Red Sox ended their storybook season by winning the World Series, the MTA’s student achievement partnerships turned their focus to the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtics.

Both teams are once again working with the MTA this fall on programs to help encourage students to excel in school.

Last year, 2,400 teachers participated in the Boston Bruins’ I.C.E. School program, which is sponsored by AT&T. The program provides kindergarten-through-eighth-grade teachers with lesson plans that are tied to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Hockey is incorporated into all of the I.C.E. School lessons.

The letters stand for “I Can Excel.” Grade-specific I.C.E. School curriculum materials cover a number of subjects, including French, geography, math, English/language arts, physical education, science and computer science.

Students who complete the lessons receive a certificate signed by a Bruins player. Educators in the program receive a monthly I.C.E. School newsletter with program updates, exclusive ticket offers and contests.

In addition, program participants are eligible to win autographed Bruins merchandise or a classroom visit by Blades, the Bruins’ Mascot, and the Bruins Ice Girls.

The program has seen renewed interest since the team’s appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring.

“I see a lot more Bruins gear being worn in our
building this year,” said Bob Doherty, a fifth-grade
teacher at the Goodyear Elementary School in
Woburn. “That helps make the students excited about
the lessons because they are all talking about the
team.”
He added that the program is a “great tool to
help my students,” especially as a motivator for those
who may be interested in sports.

Doherty uses several of the English lesson plans and all of the fifth-grade math lesson plans. An I.C.E.

School math lesson on angles using hockey has been particularly effective, he said.

“I have noticed improvement in individual items on the MCAS test, and I feel it’s related to the I.C.E.

School lessons,” Doherty added.

Bruins goalie Chad Johnson recently visited Doherty’s class as part of the program. The player spent time with each student and participated in a lesson plan designed to increase teamwork among students.

“For the most part, kids just want to have fun, but they also want to learn,” said Johnson. He explained that using professional sports figures as academic role models reminds students that learning is important in all walks of life.

“It helps for them to know that no matter what you do, there’s always something you can get out of school,” Johnson said. “It’s important to learn and develop life skills.” M eanwhile, the Boston Celtics are again partnering with the MTA to give students the chance to earn discounted tickets to games through the MTA Boston Celtics Honor Roll program.

The Celtics program rewards students with a
B average or perfect attendance with the chance
to purchase discounted tickets to certain games.
A certificate also entitles the winner’s family
and friends to buy and reserve additional seats to
to go down to the parquet floor and high-five players
as they take the court after halftime.

Celtics guard Avery Bradley has stepped in as the primary spokesman for the program this season while regular honor roll spokesman Rajon Rondo recovers from a knee injury.

The fall and winter partnerships are ramping up after a particularly exciting year for the MTA Red Sox Reading Game. To participate in the annual contest, students in kindergarten through eighth grade must pledge to read nine books over the summer — one for each position on the baseball field.

A Sept. 21 celebration capped this year’s edition of the reading game, as 100 students and their teachers attended a game at Fenway Park after their entry forms were chosen in a random drawing from among thousands that had been submitted. Five grand-prize winners were invited onto the field for a special ceremony.

Just weeks after the game, the Sox went on to win the World Series on their home turf at Fenway Park, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals and sparking jubilation in Boston and beyond.

For information about the MTA Boston Celtics Honor Roll program, call the Celtics’ Chrissy Cronin at 617.854.8034 or e-mail ccronin@celtics.com. For information about the Bruins’ I.C.E. School program, e-mail Community Relations Coordinator Ashley Hansen at amhansen@bostonbruins.com or call 617.624.1923.

The five grand-prize winners of the 2013

MTA Red Sox Summer Reading Game, flanked by Wally the Green Monster and MTA President Paul Toner, were acknowledged by fans before a home game on Sept. 21. The ceremony on the field at Fenway Park capped another successful season for the contest, in which thousands of students in kindergarten through eighth grade pledge to keep reading over the summer. The reading game is sponsored by The Hanover Insurance Group Foundation.