Sudduth Elementary counselor Mary Ruth Caradine was recognized by Extra Yard for Education at the MSU home game Saturday. (Submitted photo)
Sudduth Elementary School received some recognition at the last Mississippi State University home football game through Extra Yard for Teachers Week.
Extra Yard for Teachers is an organization under the College Football Playoff Association, seeking to champion teachers and support education through awareness and other means of benefitting schools. Sudduth Counselor Mary Ruth Caradine was recognized on the field and presented with a cowbell and T-shirt prior to the game. Sudduth Assistant Principal Angela Boutwell was originally slated to be recognized but was out of town for the game.
Boutwell said the invitation was based on the school’s use of the “Leader in Me” program for the past three years. The program is based off Stephen Covey’s book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” The Opportunity for recognition came to the school’s Lighthouse Committee, a body of teachers, administrators and others, who oversee the program at Sudduth.
“Everybody in the school is involved in one way or another,” Boutwell said.
She called the opportunity to show Sudduth off to the fans in the more than 60,000-seat Davis Wade Stadium “wonderful.”
“We do a lot of great things at Sudduth, and we have a lot of wonderful teachers,” Boutwell said. “I just think it’s great for Sudduth to be recognized for that.”
Extra Yard for Teachers seeks to make a difference in five areas: teachers spending an average of $500 on supplies out–of-pocket each year, the U.S. ranking ninth in respect for teachers out of the top 20 countries, a potential gap of 200,00 teachers by 2025 and $18 billion being spent on professional development despite only 29 percent of teachers being satisfied with current offerings.
“I feel like it is very beneficial to our students to be in the same town as MSU,” Boutwell said. “We collaborate with MSU a lot.”
She said students from several departments at MSU have come to Sudduth over the years, either to volunteer or to explain their roles.
MSU Assistant Athletic Director for Life Skills and Community Engagement JP Ambercrumbie said MSU had honored teachers through the program for three years, with last year’s honoree being from Overstreet Elementary.
“Their priority is just to identify teachers that are doing really great work as close to home as possible, so that they can give back to them,” Ambercrumbie said.
Ambercrumbie also explained the importance of being involved in the outreach.
“For us, it’s about being able to highlight the student part of being a student athlete, and support the next generation of students and hopefully, future MSU Bulldogs, as they come through the ranks,
too,” Ambercrumbie said.“