Wednesday, June 8th was The Calais School’s Fifth Annual Touchdown for Success Field Day and all of our students, staff, and visitors had a great time. The rain held off for a day of NFL-style football drills, basketball, soccer, relay races, video gaming with Microsoft, and much more!

Sponsored by The Calais Foundation, Touchdown for Success with the Gridiron Institute gives our students with special needs the opportunity to learn about health, fitness, teamwork, education and self-confidence from current and former NFL players. The interactive program also included a nutritious lunch and motivational message for our students.

Keith Elias reminded us that together, we can!

Keith Elias reminded us that together, we can!

Coach Femia organized the day’s events with Gridiron Institute founder Damian Gregory, formerly of the Detroit Lions and President Emeritus of The Calais Foundation. Former New York Giant Keith Elias kicked off the day with a motivational speech encouraging our students to focus on the things they can do, instead of focusing on what they can’t do. He reminded them that we are a family and we can do anything together! Students were also joined by the Gridiron Gang, current and former NFL players for the Giants, Packers, Browns, Ravens, and more. The NFLers motivated and cheered our students on, encouraging them to try their hardest and celebrate their achievements with some awesome touchdown dances!

We were thrilled that again this year Microsoft Bridgewater set up a gaming station for our students to play with Xboxes and Surface Pro 3s. Chris and Jessica spoke during the halftime program about netiquette and cyberbullying, reminding all of us that hurtful comments hurt, online or in person.

Touchdown for Success is presented each year by The Calais Foundation and the Gridiron Institute. In addition to Microsoft, this year our generous sponsors included Cullari Carrico and Partlow Insurance.  The generosity of our sponsors and the hard work and infectious enthusiasm of our volunteers, staff, and students made the day unforgettable for all who participated. And a special thank you to all the Calais staff and administration as well for their hard work and support in making each year’s Touchdown for Success better than the year before! It is always very rewarding to see students learning and exercising cooperatively, and perhaps most importantly, having fun.

We can’t wait to see the Gridiron Institute and Microsoft again next year!