Clemson Men’s Soccer Team Reaches Out to Elementary School Class in Phoenix, AX

Oct. 7, 2009

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson Men’s Soccer Team has paired up with Miss Mato’s fourth grade classroom in Phoenix, Arizona, to engage students in a program called We are College Bound.

Amberlea Elementary school and the Clemson Tigers Soccer Team are not only aiming to encourage all students to start thinking about a future of continued education, but they are allowing the students to get excited about the process. “We are thrilled to be involved,” said men’s assistant coach, Jesse Miech, adding, “It’s great to see a program that connects universities with students at such a young age. So many times, kids don’t start thinking about college until they hit their junior or senior years of high school.” The program’s goal is to remedy this problem by making students aware of the opportunities ahead of them, and to make sure they are academically prepared when those chances present themselves.

By instilling a “college bound” philosophy at an early age, Miss Mato’s 4th graders at Amberlea Elementary are already thinking about their futures. Teachers are displaying their own diplomas and speaking to their students about college. They are being taught how to set goals for themselves, and in turn, how to go about achieving those goals. Miss Mato’s class has “adopted” Clemson as their university identity, and with the help of various items the soccer team has sent promoting Clemson, they have turned their classroom into a space filled with Tiger Pride. Miss Mato commented on the decorations saying, “These visual reminders of college throughout campus serve as powerful symbols for the students, as well as a reminder to the educators of our duty to prepare our students for continued education.”