Middle school honor rolls

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Middle school honor rolls

Effingham County honor rolls for the first nine-week grading period

Staff Report

Updated: Nov 19, 2012, 6:50 PM

Published: Nov 19, 2012, 6:52 PM

Effingham County Middle
Sixth grade
Donna Altis, Autumn Asbill, Griffin Baldwin, Jacob Barton, Stone Bennett, Colin Benton, Ian Blewett, Rebecca Borchardt, Andrew Boyette, Nadia Bray, Jacob Brinson, Adair Brown, Evy Brown, Amberly Burgess, Dominic Buswell, Madison Carroll, Hayden Chafin, Morgan Clifton, Jaylin Coleman, Stephen Colson, Marybeth Corbin, Gwendolyn Cottle, Alyssa Creasy, Briannah Cribbs, Tony Davis, Andrew Delapenia, Makenzie Driggers, Benjamin Epperley, Caitlin Exley, Madison Farmer, Holden Fields, Courtney Flowers, Anna Fulcher, Renee Garman, Hannah Gilgen, Alexandra Graham, Alexander Haar, Catherine Hall, Justin Hall, Winona Harmon, Abigail Henry, Rachel Hill, Chandler Hinely, Maegan Horton, Wyatt Howard, Chase Howze, Shauntel Jackson, Stephen Jackson, Chloe Johnsen, Brandon Johnson, Shelby Jones, Madison Kerby, Natalie Kinstle, DeAndra Kirkland, Nathaniel LaVoy, Byron Lee, Anna Logsdon, Kristen McKenzie, Maddison Milligan, Nyla Moore, Trevin Moore, Raymond Morin, Reese Nighbert, Micah Nix, Evan Oglesby, Brianna Oliver, Cullen Peel, Jaylen Pevey, Tiffany Pittman, Michaela Rahn, Kodi Reno, Harmon Ringgold, Jenna Roberson, Brenden Roberts, Katarina Sansone, John Seigler, Caleb Sexton, Joshua Sharp, Jasmyne Sharpe, Cayman Sheley, Heather Sherwood, William Shockley, Ansley Skinner, Taylor Smith, Wyatt Smith, Megan Spears, Jerid Stokes, Brandon Story, Raymond Sutton, Todd Terry, Alayna Usher, Lauren Vaigneur, Jordan Wallace, Leah Walton, Brandy Williams, Bailee Wilson, Sarah Winter, Shirley Woodard, Ashleigh Yekel, John Youmans, Rebekah Zettler

Seventh grade
Kiyah Adkins, Lorin Alderman, Nicholas Allen, Nicholas Anderson, Christian Andrews, Austin Angus, Kaitlyn Arnsdorff, Chloe Auman, Trace Baranowski, Hannah Berry, Jonathan Bird, Daniel Blackmore, Chanses Bowers, Ashlyn Burns, Kira Byrd, Javan Carboney, Cody Carroll, Analeigh Casey, Matthew Cook, Marcus Coppock, Gavin Creed, Erica Cribbs, Annissa Daughtry, James Davis, Chance Denney, Seth Dever, Devan Dixon, Anthony Duncan, Katherine Duncan, Kimberly Estes, Micah Fansler, Nikeera Gadsden, Alison Gnann, Melanie Gonzales, Peyton Gracen, Carlos Gutierrez, Jessica Hahn, Hunter Hawkins, Adam Heidt, Cooper Hesling, Brandon Hogg, Carson Hunt, Matthew Jenkins, Jeremy Kicklighter, Baleigh King, Trinity Kirkland, Alexander Knight, Nathaniel Knight, Tiffany LaBonte, Laura Lanham, Matthew LaVoy, Miriam Lister, Jonathan Logsdon, Cole Long, Benjamin McClinton, Blake McCollum, Amber Miller, Kylie Miller, Danajah Milton, Matthew Moss, Emilee Pierson, Brandi Quigley, Xavier Rennells, Dominick Rodriguez, Victoria Roy, Alex Royal, Marquavia Samuel, Darius Shockley, Brooke Simmons, Mia Staggs, Alyssa Stockall, Rebecca Velasquez, Cullen Wake, Miranda Walker, Nicholas Wullert

Eighth grade
Emily Alexander, Zachary Baranowski, Jonathan Barresi, Todd Beam, Austin Beard, Taylor Biggers, Benjamin Bowen, DeMesha Brinson, Yvette Brockett, Harley Brown, Shelby Burgess, Christopher Burns, Jordan Burnsed, ZeaDerius Chambers, Kaitlyn Chumley, Megan Clemons, James Collins, Fatima Cope, Nathan Crager, Jillian Craig, Andrew Crawford, Makenzie Crocker, Parker Dasher, Marcelene Delcampo, Kelsey Disher, Dalton Dixon, Brady Douglas, Nautas Dramis, Vivian Dunn, Arlen Edwards, Brantley Emanuel, Noah Fournier, Cameron Fowler, Sarah Freeman, Abby Freyermuth, Cole Fulcher, Wesley Fulcher, Paige Giles, Charles Gilgen, Zariea Graham, Taylor Green, Daulton Harris, Morgan Hild, Logan Hill, Jared Holland, Kaylei Howe, Benjamin Jackson, Simone Jackson, Sydnie Jenkins, Chastity Johnson, Jessica Jones, Kirsten Jones, Phillip Knight, Ethan Knox, Austin Lace, Evan Lastinger, Joshua LaVoy, Grace Liebl, Callie Malphus, Elijah McCann-Bell, Zoe McCarter, Ryan Miller, Hannah Mills, Dalton Mincey, Breanna Mullins, Jared Nance, Jon Nance, Destiny Nease, Mason Oglesby, Monique Overstreet, Jazmine Panameno, Martha Paramo, Tyler Paris, Kimberly Pells, Jonathan Phillips, Ryan Pye, Anita Quarles, Anna Rafter, Joshua Ratliff, Whitney Ricardo, Briana Riggs, Emily Roberts, Jordan Robinson, Abigail Russell, Corley Sauls, Natalie Schaut, Jessica Shaw, Kaylee Shuman, Alyssa Smith, Hannah Smoak, Anna Snooks, Nicholas Sorrow, Landon Stone, Mason Wake, Jaylen Wallace, Chloe Ward, Mackenzie Waters, Allison White, April Williams, Makayla Williams, Morgan Williams, Bryce Young

Ebenezer Middle
Sixth grade
Phillip Babin, Bryson Barrera, Grace Baumann, Megan Benninghoff, Evan Bergner, Mollie Boone, Nadia Bryant, Matthew Burnham, Dixie Burnsed, Michael Cancellieri, Jaden Caskey, Miriam Cipleu, Luke Collins, Lindsey Culbertson, Jessica Dickey, Alexis Dodd, Brandon Elenbaas, Victoria Felker, Jonathan Forbes, Ethan Fournier, Dwight Fuller, Felix Galindez, Andrea Garcia, Sanaya Gardin, Elyse Gowin, Autumn Gray, Adrianah Greene, Joseph Halla, Ryan Harley, Ethan Harrelson, Joseph Harrelson, Maggie Helmly, Alayna Hill, Amy Hill, Brady Holder, De'ja House, Briana Jackson, Caleb Jackson, Ethan Johnson, Hagen Jones, Jaida Jones, Niamh Kavanagh, Claire Kelly, Isabel Kieffer, Alexis Kopp, Stephanie Kulbacki, Nicolas Lesueur, Jackson Lieber, Tyler Lockhart, Katie Marchese, Skylar Marcinko, Brianna Marine, Bailey Marlow, Madison Messer, Abby Mikulsky, Makenzie Miller, Quinton Mitchell, Jacob Morgan, Nicole Naber, Rafael Osella, Trisha Patel, Madison Phillips, Rylee Pippin, William Price, Jordan Rahn, Erik Robinson, Joseph Rouse, Rebecca Shea, Calista Shearouse, Hunter Smiley, Adriana Smith, William Stephenson, Jackson Swindell, Jayden Tabler, Julian Thrift, Jasmine Valentine, Kiara Vazquez-Narvaez, Paige Veal, Caitlin Warnock, Michael Welch, William White, Dakota Wilkes, Sidney Williamson, Kathryn Wyman, Madalyn Yerkey

Seventh grade
Kenichi Ainscoe, Aiman Amir, Simon Arnold, Madison Austin, Nychorida Austin, Angelina Blanchette, Kylie Bochat, Austin Brant, Rachel Bright, Logan Brooks, Meghan Button, Wade Calhoun, Jameasa Carter, Isabella Castillo, Alexia Chavez, Bohong Cheng, Benjamin Cipleu, Madison Cocke, Christian Coile, Maia Collins, Tyler Cornwell, Katie Dennis, Megan Deyhle, Michaela Digiovanni, Shyneice Doss, Kaitlyn Drittler, Jared Dyches, Daniel Flood, Sarah Floyd, Ian Foster, Perry Fulcher, Nadia Garcia, Anthony Girardeau, Matthew Goetz, David Goodson, Kristen Gossett, Madeline Griner, Christopher Hall, Emily Hartzog, Hunter Harvard, Kylee Hathaway, Sierra Hathaway, Grace Hayes, Kyle Hendrix, Alexis Henry, Chandler Holmes, Austin Johnson, Ty Keener, Matthew Kessler, Josie King, Natalie Krall, Thomas Lanham, Chad Lennox, Hannah Lieber, Alyssa Lindahl, Bailey Lott, Kyle MacPherson, Blake Martin, Logan McCollum, Brianna McCrae, Emilie McCumbers, Sarah McIntosh, Jade Nguyen, Derek Odum, Michaela Pannell, Priyal Patel, Rani Patel, Alyssa Patten, Grace Paulos, April Peralez, Dylan Pettigrew, Juliet Pigman, Jonathan Price, Jacob Pruitt, Regner Quinones-Negroni, Payton Rahn, William Ricord, Megan Riley, Nathaniel Roccapriore, Andres Rodriguez, Trevvor Ross, Makaila Scates, Noah Sheley, Kayce Sheppard, Tyler Smiley, Timothy Smith, Nicholas Stark, Joshua Strickland, Jaclyn Syms, Eryck Tackitt, Aurie Tillman, Kimberly Trinh, Addison Trower, Jordan Vick, Emily Ward, Khloe Wilson, Lucy Winchester, Masun Womble, Cevana Wood, Kristen Woods, Rachel Wyman

Eighth grade
Sophia Abernathy, Dylan Adkins, Brett Allen, Abigail Allread, Erin Ames, Paul Ames, Isaac Anderson, Maggie Badagliacca, Faith Baldwin, Trevor Barreto, Matthew Beech, Clarissa Britt, Alexandra Byrd, Benjamin Carper, Timothy Carter, Heather Caudle, Christopher Clairmont, Brittany Clifton, Taylor Cocke, Jack Cohn, Robert Cook, Dave Cribbs, Haylie Davis, Mayte Davis, Madison Dawes, Tori Desrosiers, Abigail Dickerson, John Dickey, Hannah Dodson, Isabel Duffy, Leslie Duncan, Cameron Exley, Jessica Flippo, Alyssa Flowers, Haley Fowler, Katelyn Fowler, Katherine Freeman, Toby Fuller, Luis Garcia, Darian Gay, Makenzie Gilbert, Victoria Gutierrez, Saralyn Helmly, Noah Hendrix, Rebecca Hogan, Robert Holder, Jessica Horan, Cayli Horn, Hunter Horton, Josie Howard, Makenzie Howard, Lauren Jackson, Taylor Jackson, Thomas Jackson, Joseph Jarman, John Jennings, Caroline Johnson, Mariece Jones, Blessed Jordan, Cierra Jordan, Alyssa Kaeser, Harmony Kelly, Grace Kieffer, Grant Killion, Danylo Kovalenko, Sydney Kublin, Raymond Lamb, Makenzy Lane, Noah Larkin, Destiny Leddick, Justin Lennox, Savannah Leslie, Madison Liotta, Rachel Lukavsky, Benjamin Magondu, Caroline Malphrus, Michael McCollum, Joshua McElveen, Noah McIntosh, Madison Mettler, Katelyn Mikell, Matthew Mitchell, Keri Monteleone, Elizabeth Morgan, Hastin Morris, Nathaniel Nichols, Elizabeth Nist, Adam Osella, Nick Parker, Dejay Patel, Reesha Patel, Conner Phillips, Shakari Powell, Parker Rawlins, Ian Rivera, Sarah Robinson, Jaden Rodriguez, Brannon Seckinger, Laurie Shaw, Ashlee Shores, David Shyrock, Abbey Sikes, Delaney Simich, Trevon Simmons, Mary Sincavage, Hailee Snow, Alexander Stewart, Royce Stotts, Justin Stringer, Stella Talley, Julianne Thomas, Haylee Tomberlin, Elizabeth Torres, Marina Van Sickle, Zachary Van Sickle, Tyler Venegas, Xavier Wallace, Denzel Walls, Kailey Ward, Mary Weiss, Ashlyn Wiggins, Kaywuana Williams, Anna Wilson, Michael Witt, Kayli Woods, Bailey Wright, Tessa Yardley, Kaymon Young, Karen Yun, Larson Zettler

South Effingham Middle
Sixth grade
Reece Allen, Gabriel Bauza, Kastin Belogorska, Joshua Berg, Kelly Berry, Lauren Bishop, Charles Bogardus, Mason Bogardus, Olivia Bowser, Benjamin Bradley, Katherine Brennan, Ryan Bresnan, Alexia Butler, Jackson Butler, Logan Byrd, Rachel Byrd, Landen Caldwell, Christopher Chauvenne, Noah Chumley, Breanna Church, Alexandria Clark, Kaylee Clay, Zackary Cole, Jacob Connolly, Alyssa Cook, Madison Daley, Gavin D'Angelo, Gabrielle D'Annunzio, Hannah Davis, Makenzie Denison, Quinna Eldridge, Paul Elliott, Nathan Eyer, Olivia Fedie, Tyler Fortner, Graysen Gale, Lillian Garner, Madison Grace, Jakob Gross, Deanna Gunnels, Stephen Hall, Molly Hammond, Rhett Hatcher, Abigail Havlin, Thomas Head, Haley Jackson, Benjamin Jacques, Alyssa Jeffers, Alexus Jenkins, Mallori Jenkins, Andrew Ji, Alexa Johanson, Daniel Jowers, McKenzie Layson, Richard Lee, Marcus Lewis, Zoe Lincoln, Marissa Long, Jeffery Lonon, Kinsley Lupton, Samantha Mattox, Ellie McCloy, Chaseton McCoy, Adrienne McNamar, Aliyah Miller, Cheyenne Miller, Isaac Mitchell, Rachel Mixon, Logan Moore, Teralynn Moore, Kayla Morgan, Abigail Morris, Katie Morris, Brandon Nary, Brian Nichols, Nicolas Palefsky, Jacob Parrish, Jaydon Parrish, Thomas Patterson, Dylan Pendleton, Jesse Perry, Sarah Pierce, Jacob Pilz, Tatiana Pinzon-Luciente, Maggie Poff, David Ramsey, Haleigh Rewis, Alaina Ricker, Nathan Rickman, McKenzie Riner, Carson Sanders, William Schaffner, Amelia Sellars, Tala Shurling, Taryn Shurling, Taylor Sloan, Dylan Smith, Madelyn Smith, Tyler Smith, Edmon Snyder, Giovanni Soriano, Garth Spendiff, Ashley Stingel, Garrett Stokes, Samantha Summers, Carson Taylor, Raven Thornton, Daysia Thrift, Jaden Tucker, Ashlyn Ward, Samantha Watkins, Ansley Williams, Bry-anna Williams, Kennedy Williams, Kristen Williams, Samuel Williams, April Williford, Joshua Woods, Kylee Zeagler, Samantha Zittrauer

Seventh grade
Dolan Aguero, Caroline Allen, Sierra Arce, Kearsetyn Bargeron, Mackenzie Baxter, Anthony Beck, Jordan Bisard, Charles Bradley, Dalton Brown, Joseph Brown, Mikala Brown, Laura Burns, Emily Butler, Devin Caldwell, Kassie Campbell, Walter Clark, Ilayna Coleman, Camden Collins, Jessica Cooper, Bryce Dampier, Austin Davis, Calvin Davis, Wyatt Day, Emily Deason, Georgia Dowling, Trevor Driggers, Keara Drum, Lance Duggar, Kimberly Duncan, Stephen Ehret, Emily Elmore, Maxine Erimia, Victoria Farrar, Aerin Farrell, Dylan Foshee, Mitchell Fowler, Anna Freeman, William Freeman, Kathryn Gallman, Edwin Garcia Mota, Andrew Garner, Timothy Gaskin, Devyn Gilchrist, Spencer Gillam, Shae Gillespie, Madison Goff, Payton Gooding, Matthew Grant, Sarah Grayson, Alex Green, Emily Hagan, Lincoln Harley, Kayla Harrelson, Kourtney Harrelson, Sarah Harrington, Faith Harris, Garrett Helmey, Molly Hester, Matthew Hixon, Christina Hodges, Katelynn Hodges, Cameron Humphries, Malcolm Jackson, Aaron Jameson, Andrew Jeffers, Dusty Jett, Taylor Johnson, Sarah Jones, Jacob Kossler, Zoe Kreyenbuhl, Joshua Kyle, Sierra Lamb, Makayla Lorenz, Stephanie Martin, Hannah McCann, Jenna McClendon, Hannah McDaniel, Rowen McKuhen, Michele Medina, Bailee Milne, Julian Mobley, Brigman Moore, Mallory Morgan, Richard Morris, Ian Morrison, Abigail Myrick, Myles Neal, Brittany Nease, Alan Paes, Elizabeth Parrish, John Patrick, Alyssa Pesce, Kevin Pinder, Valen Plyman, Michael Ponton, Dylan Raulerson, Conner Reinholt, James Rodgers, Merary Rodriguez, Jacob Ross, Tanner Rushing, Logan Sapp, Cory Schreiber, Kimberly Schwartz, Darius Scott, Harry Scott, Travis Sheppard, Jacob Shikany, Nathan Simon, Cason Smith, Sheridan Strickland, Charles Sullivan, Mitchell Taylor, Christina Townsend, Victoria Tseng, Joleena Velez, Makay Walsh, Krystian Washburn, Derlysa Williams, Desire' Williams, Douglas Williams, Emma Williams, Victoria Williams, Ralph Winchester, Russell Wise, Jamie Yarbrough, Sarah Yonce

Eighth grade
Andrea Adams, David Allen, Heath Allen, Kirsten Arnett, Ian Azpiazu, Ashlyn Beasley, Brandon Bell, Naren Bhimbra, Melanie Bott, Madison Brewton, Christine Brutcher, Alison Cannon, Cathleen Chance, Ernest Clifton, Dale Colbert, Miriam Coon, Matthew Corbitt, Rachel Croasmun, Margie Cutter, Samantha D'Annunzio, Nolan Dasher, India Davis, Hannah Douglas, Brittany Downs, Joshua Eason, Logan Edenfield, Ricky Ekern, Mason Evans, Caleb Fedie, Baleigh Fennell, Kara Fennell, Garrett Fish, Abigail Floyd, Jordan Floyd, Madison Garrett, Sonya Gill, Kenneth Glover, Lauren Gordon, Isabel Granat, Matthew Hagan, Omari Hall, Victoria Hall, Marshal Hamilton, Garrett Harvey, Victoria Hauser, Melissa Hawkins, Teonna Hayes, Alexander Hensley, Peyton Hill, Nicholas Hobbs, Kayla Hodge, Chloe Horne, Katheryn Jackson, Brittany James, Cameron Jenkins, Haley Johnson, Damion Jones, Rachael Jones, Kylie Kanehl, Ashtian Kessler, Elizabeth Kicklighter, Kevin Koffroth, Jordan Lancaster, Joseph Lee, Alex LeFavi, Breanna Lively, Faith Long, Madelin Luther, Riley Maness, Harley McClelland, Bailey McGrath, Heather McLain, Katlyn Mincey, Gary Mixon, Kathryn Nary, Katie Nelson, Haleena Nicome, Hannah Nutting, Ronald O'Quinn, Shemar Orr, Makaylah Pevey, Chloe Phillips, Cara Ponton, Jaylen Powell, Jacob Pulkinen, Joshua Purvis, Ethan Radcliffe, Sierra Redd, Justin Reesor, Allyn Regencia, Diana Richtman, Tyler Riddle, Amber Roberson, Jaci Rogers, Shannon Rowbal, Grace Schaffner, Bradley Schultz, Kenneth Scott, Sarah Sellars, Rebecca Sharron, Kelly Shuman, Timothy Signal, Alec Sikes, Dakota-Kayla Smith, William Solomons, Catherine Sowers, Jeremiah Summitt, Mikylia Terrell, Jace Thames, Austin Thompson, Julien Thornton, Madison Thornton, Kaleigh Todd, Zoie Vandine, Jake Walbert, Christian Walton, Emma Wheeler, Cody Winston, Micah Wood, Bailey Yarbrough, Kevin Yarbrough

Latest

NFL Curriculum Sparks Excitement in Ebenezer Elementary Classroom

Ashlyn McNeal's Third-Graders Track Their Teams to Learn Life Lessons, Core Subjects in a One-of-a-Kind Setting

Ashlyn McNeal’s third-grade class at Ebenezer Elementary: Front Row (left to right): Wren Roe, Rosie Galloway, Hattie Jo Arnsdorff, Blake Marchione, Isaac Paez-Santiago, Nykeem Leslie, Brayton Perry, Maxwell Darling, River Bragg, Kooper Fields, Asher McKee. Middle Row (left to right): Abigail Moody, Harper Zittrouer, Beau Dubberly, Nicole Fruhling, Haden Spikes, Louis Palles, Iyla Jo Allen, Meredith Rawlins, Conner Achtziger, Bryson Unterein. Back Row (left to right): Judah Bolt, Brentley Sherman, Stetson Hayes, Lilah Wilson, Porter Somers, Wesley Moore, Colton Polk, Zoe Bass, Amelia Exley, Nora Hill, teacher Ashlyn McNeal (Mya Taylor / Effingham Herald)

Ebenezer Elementary School — Ashlyn McNeal’s third-grade class at Ebenezer Elementary: Front Row (left to right): Wren Roe, Rosie Galloway, Hattie Jo Arnsdorff, Blake Marchione, Isaac Paez-Santiago, Nykeem Leslie, Brayton Perry, Maxwell Darling, River Bragg, Kooper Fields, Asher McKee. Middle Row (left to right): Abigail Moody, Harper Zittrouer, Beau Dubberly, Nicole Fruhling, Haden Spikes, Louis Palles, Iyla Jo Allen, Meredith Rawlins, Conner Achtziger, Bryson Unterein. Back Row (left to right): Judah Bolt, Brentley Sherman, Stetson Hayes, Lilah Wilson, Porter Somers, Wesley Moore, Colton Polk, Zoe Bass, Amelia Exley, Nora Hill, teacher Ashlyn McNeal (Mya Taylor / Effingham Herald)

Paul Kasko

Updated: Sep 29, 2025, 10:19 PM

Published: Sep 29, 2025, 3:37 PM

RINCON, Ga. — On a recent weekday afternoon, Ashlyn McNeal’s 24 third-graders at Ebenezer Elementary School weren’t just watching NFL highlights in their favorite team jerseys — they were adding up scores, practicing new vocabulary and learning life lessons, all while cheering for their favorite teams.

McNeal is the only teacher in Effingham County using the “NFeLementary” curriculum, a program created by Miami, Florida, third-grade teacher Mary Crippen that blends football into core subjects for grades 3–5. The curriculum is used by about 300 teachers across the U.S. and Canada, McNeal said. The idea is simple but powerful: use the excitement of the NFL to make math, reading, geography, writing and even character education come alive.

For McNeal, now in her second year at Ebenezer after teaching at Springfield Elementary, the curriculum answered a challenge she had seen in her nine years teaching third grade, specializing in English language arts.

“Over the years I’ve noticed that third-graders sometimes struggle to get excited about reading and writing,” she said. “Some find it boring. I was looking for ways to better engage them.”

That search led her to Crippen. McNeal started following the Miami teacher on social media and was struck by the energy in her classroom. “I saw the excitement in her students, so I contacted her,” McNeal said. When Crippen made the curriculum available for purchase this summer, McNeal jumped in immediately.

“The curriculum gave me the starting pieces,” she said. “But the best part is being part of a community. There’s a Facebook group with other teachers across the country and Canada who are using it, and that’s been an invaluable resource.”

Classroom adopts the Chiefs

The classroom looks the part.

Students wear jerseys or T-shirts matching their chosen teams and decorate their notebooks with their team’s logo. Weekly standings are updated on the whiteboard. The class has even adopted its own franchise — the Kansas City Chiefs — inspired partly by McNeal’s Taylor Swift fandom. Swift’s fiancé, Travis Kelce, is a star player on the team. McNeal, showing her team spirit, wore a Chiefs sweatshirt. On her desk, a big red “Easy” button sits topped with a photo of Swift.

On this day, students sat cross-legged on the floor watching highlight clips from NFL Week 3. When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading 26-20, lined up for a field goal against the New York Jets, McNeal paused the video.

“If the Bucs make this field goal, what would the score be?” she asked.

“29-20!” one student called out.

“Right,” McNeal said.

Then came the twist: the Jets blocked the kick, ran it back for a touchdown and erased a 9-point deficit. The Buccaneers eventually won 29-27 on a last-second field goal, but McNeal used the moment to point to a vocabulary word written on the board: perseverance.

“What does perseverance mean?” she asked.

“You keep fighting until the end,” a student answered.

Lessons beyond the scoreboard

Later, the class watched Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker — the kids call him “Dicker the Kicker” — make a game-winning field goal against the Broncos.

“Everything you do, every play during the game matters,” McNeal reminded them. “Is a game won or lost by one person?”

“No!” the students shouted back.

That led to a discussion about tenacity and work ethic. McNeal asked the students for examples of positive work habits they could practice at home. Hands shot up: “Clean my room.” “Empty the dishwasher.”

Students eagerly shared ideas and connected the lessons from football to their own lives.

“It has definitely made the classroom so much more engaging,” McNeal said.

The bigger picture

Principal Tony Sikes, who sat in on the class that day wearing a tie adorned with every NFL team logo, said McNeal approached him with a presentation seeking approval for the curriculum.

For Sikes, a self-proclaimed long-suffering Atlanta Falcons fan, it wasn’t a tough sell.

“Once I was sure it would help the students meet the state’s standards in English, math, social studies and science, I gave the OK,” he said. “Ashlyn also sprinkles in character education. She does such a great job, and the students — boys and girls — and the parents have embraced the program.”

Sikes said he wouldn’t be surprised if more teachers ask to adopt the program next year.

From the field to the classroom

McNeal shared details about the curriculum in a letter to parents at the beginning of the school year.

The “NFeLementary” program runs throughout the NFL season. Each student drafts a team to manage as their franchise, tracking wins and losses, recording stats and completing weekly research reports.

The lessons sharpen a wide range of skills:

Math: addition, subtraction, division, averages, data analysis, predictions
Reading & Research: nonfiction comprehension, summarizing, evaluating sources
Geography: mapping, states and cities, time zones, distances
Writing: opinion pieces, reflections, reports
Technology: search engines, typing, digital organization
Life Lessons: accountability, perseverance, teamwork, critical thinking, sportsmanship and learning how to win and lose with grace

Daily lessons last just 10–15 minutes, but their impact lasts far longer.

The students and parents

Student Beau Dubberly, general manager of the Bills, said, “It makes it really fun. It helps me learn more about my favorite football team.”

McNeal said the students would get a kick out of being called the general managers, or GMs, of their teams.

“I’m learning life lessons,” said Hattie Jo Arnsdorff, GM of the Steelers.

Wesley Moore, GM of the Texans, took his passion beyond the classroom when his parents drove him to Jacksonville to watch the Texans play the Jaguars live.

“Being in the stadium was awesome,” he said.

He proudly showed off his Texans binder, filled with weekly reports documenting game-time weather, time zone changes, the states the Texans played in, and passing and receiving yards.

The excitement isn’t confined to the classroom.

Lauren Dubberly, Beau’s mother, said, “The NFL curriculum has been so much fun. The whole family is involved. We know the Bills’ schedule and have to stop and watch the games. We might be the biggest Bills fans in Georgia. Beau already knows what Bills jersey he wants for Christmas.”

She recalled a moment after Eagles defensive lineman Jalen Carter spat on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in Week 1.

“Beau came home and told us they discussed it in class. Ms. McNeal explained sportsmanship, and I thought it was an important life lesson for him.”

Kathryn Moore, Wesley’s mother, said, “It’s been a wonderful year so far. This curriculum has really motivated Wesley. He looks forward to going to school every day. We love his excitement and how it has opened his mind. That’s what every parent wants.”

Classroom highlights

Rosie Galloway, an enthusiastic Panthers GM, highlighted the Buffalo Bills’ dramatic Week 1 comeback over the Ravens. “Fans left because they thought the Bills would lose, but they were persistent and came back and won.”

When Sikes witnessed the vocabulary and insights McNeal’s third-graders were sharing, he just smiled.

“How many third-graders are using the word ‘persistent’?” he asked.

For McNeal, that’s the ultimate victory: football may be the hook, but the real wins are happening every day in her classroom.