November 3, 2023 - Two Comal ISD teachers were surprised with $500 grants by Valero Alamo Bowl and PNC Bank on Tuesday, Oct. 31, as part of the College Football Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers program.
Mountain Valley Elementary music teacher and Comal ISD Elementary Teacher of the Year Alice Tuckness was excited to learn that she was among the 30 teachers to receive a grant this year.
“Being a huge sports fan, especially college football, I am speechless at the generosity that the Valero Alamo Bowl and PNC Bank have given me and other teachers,” Tuckness says. “I really am speechless.”
Equally excited was Pieper Ranch Middle School gifted and talented teacher and Comal ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year A’ndrea Fisher.
“I was blown away to learn I had earned one of the Valero Alamo Bowl teacher grants,” says Fisher. “Seeing that a high-profile organization like the Alamo Bowl supports outside-the-box experiential learning experiences is a validation and recognition of the hard work many teachers put in, to give more to our students than facts off a page.
“I feel honored to be a recipient and can’t wait to share the learning this funding has enhanced with my students, school and community,” continues Fisher, who is also a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow through the National Geographic Society.
Fisher plans to use the Extra Yard for Teachers grant to further develop and refine a crime scene investigation project.
“By creating moments where students dive into the role of investigator, learning has a way of sticking better and problem-solving skills are strengthened,” she says.
Tuckness plans to use her grant money to create a black light experience in her music classroom and encourage all students to be engaged and learn.
“I will create and transform my music room into a black light glowing experience,” she says. “This transformation could be used as an incentive or a supplemental activity. The students will be able to play instruments that glow in the dark, and the room will in fact turn into a glow room.”
This is the third year that the Valero Alamo Bowl has partnered with the College Football Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers program. President/CEO Derrick Fox from the Valero Alamo Bowl along with Chris Sherman, regional president of PNC Bank, which is the presenting sponsor, were on hand to surprise the teachers.
“The Valero Alamo Bowl is proud to again have partnered with PNC Bank and the College Football Foundation Extra Yard for Teachers Program,” says Fox. “Teachers are often the unsung heroes in our communities given their lasting impact on our youth. It is very rewarding for us to recognize Alice Tuckness at Mountain Valley Elementary and A’ndrea Fisher at Pieper Ranch Middle School in their classes and at our game as two of the top teachers in the area. We look forward to seeing how their classroom grants further enhances the amazing experience they provide for their students.”
Both teachers also received tickets for the Valero Alamo Bowl, which celebrates its 31st anniversary at 8:15 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 28, in the Alamodome. Tickets are on sale now.
-Pictured from left is Chris Sherman with PNC Bank; grant winner A’ndrea Fisher, Pieper Ranch Middle School teacher; and Derrick Fox, president/CEO of Valero Alamo Bowl.
-Pictured from left is Chris Sherman with PNC Bank; grant winner A’ndrea Fisher, Pieper Ranch Middle School teacher; Lauran Knight, PRMS principal; and Derrick Fox, president/CEO of Valero Alamo Bowl.
-Pictured from left is Chris Sherman with PNC Bank; grant winner Alice Tuckness, Mountain Valley Elementary School teacher; and Derrick Fox, president/CEO of Valero Alamo Bowl.
-Pictured from left is Chris Sherman with PNC Bank; grant winner Alice Tuckness, Mountain Valley Elementary School teacher; Andrea Patrick, MVES principal; and Derrick Fox, president/CEO of Valero Alamo Bowl.