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Official Publication of the Massachusetts Teachers Association
Partnerships promote student achievement
By Bob Duffy
A s summer turns to fall, the Red Sox are in the midst of a playoff quest, the Celtics are gearing up for a new season and the Bruins
are preparing for another run at the Stanley Cup.
MTA academic achievement programs that
involve partnerships with all three teams allow
students and educators to be part of the action.
The MTA Red Sox Reading Game, which is
drawing to a close for 2013, promotes reading and
literacy among Massachusetts students. The annual
contest is open to all Massachusetts students in
kindergarten through eighth grade who pledge to
read nine books over the summer.
In July, the thousands of student entries that
arrived this year were entered into a drawing for free
tickets to a Red Sox home game. The 100 winners
and their teachers are now preparing to attend the
Sept. 21 game at Fenway Park against the Toronto
Blue Jays.
A companion program to the reading game, the
MTA Red Sox Most Valuable Educator Program,
recognizes the hard work that educators do all year.
Anyone who works in public education or helps
students — a teacher, paraprofessional, coach or
librarian, for example — can be nominated. Those
selected by the Sox based on essays win free tickets
to a Saturday home game, take part in a ceremony
on the field, hear their names announced over the
loudspeaker, see their photos displayed prominently
on the field’s giant video screen and get prime seats
behind home plate.
“It was an honor representing all Massachusetts
teachers in a positive light,” said MVE Meredith
Moore, a math teacher at Methuen High School and
a member of the Methuen Education Association.
MVE Nancy Barile, an English language arts
teacher at Revere High School and a member of the
Revere Education Association, said being cheered by
the Fenway faithful for her work as an educator was
“probably the coolest thing that’s ever happened to
“You have no idea how much it meant to my
family and me,” Barile said.
Nancy Barile, an English language arts teacher at Revere High School, joined Wally the Green
Monster on the field at Fenway Park. She was honored as an MTA Red Sox Most Valuable Educator.
Michael Cummo/Boston Red Sox
Another fast-growing partnership is the MTA
Boston Celtics Honor Roll program, which awards
game tickets and a halftime trip to the parquet floor
of the Garden to students who achieve a B average or
have an exemplary attendance record.
Students who make the MTA Boston Celtics
Honor Roll have the opportunity to purchase buy-one, get-one-free tickets and reserve additional seats
to the same game at a discount. At each game, up to
20 participants who are on their schools’ honor rolls
are invited to appear on the court and high-five the
players as they take the court.
Meanwhile, interest in the Bruins is expected
to be high this year following their appearance in
the Stanley Cup Finals in June. The team’s I.C.E.
School program — the letters stand for I Can Excel
— provides educators with a way to tap into the
excitement.
“The Boston Bruins I.C.E. School program is
designed to make learning stick,” said Kerry Collins,
director of community relations for the team.
Lesson plans for students in kindergarten
through eighth grade “incorporate hockey, Bruins
players and Bruins stats” and reflect the Common
Core State Standards, she said.
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. For information about the MTA
Boston Red Sox Reading Game and Most Valuable
Educator program, visit www.readingmatters.org.
MVE Nancy Barile, an English
language arts teacher at Revere
High School and a member of the
Revere Education Association, said
being cheered by the Fenway faithful
for her work as an educator was
“probably the coolest thing that’s
ever happened to me in my life.”