Audrey McKenzie, Academic Coach Portland HS in Portland, ME

Audrey McKenzie
Academic Coach
Portland HS/Portland, ME
mckena@portlandschools.org

Portland High School is in its third year of being a proud member of Play It Smart. 2007 was the first year, in which Head Coach Mike Bailey did not have to worry about ineligible players at the start of the season. That in it self is an achievement. With focus on the six goals established by Play It Smart, the PHS student-athletes strive each and every day to reach these goals. They attend Play It Smart Study Halls on a daily basis during school hours. During this time, the student athletes complete their homework, have study groups for tests, take part in SAT Prep lessons, and engage in meaningful conversations about life or a significant event that has taken place. It is also a time for these young people to gather themselves, remove themselves from any negativity and redirect their energy to become a better person, student and athlete.

Michelle Tucci, Latin Teacher at PHS has this to say about Play it Smart: “Play It Smart not only serves as a support system for student-athletes, but also as a easily accessible way to encourage and monitor students. I have seen the students who utilize PIS improve both their homework and quiz averages. PIS members know that even if their parents are not involved in their education, there are still important conversations happening between their teachers and their academic coach (Audrey). It lets students know that there is both accountability and relationship building.”

Play It Smart has also taken these young people into the community. Portland High School is located in the Bayside Neighborhood, which sits in the heart of Portland, Maine. It is in this area that the Play It Smart participants are involved in community outreach. The Play It Smart program has become part of the Bayside Neighborhood through the Adopt-A-Block program. The student-athletes help out during community functions such as: clean-up days, fairs, the local soup kitchen and several other events in the geographical area of PHS For the past three years, the Play It Smart program has also been the “chain-crew” for the Portland Youth Football League. It is very wonderful to witness the growth and development of these young men while they are interacting with youth who have a common interest.

A highlight of the Portland High School Play It Smart program has been going to a leadership ropes course. This past year the participants went on an overnight trip where they took part in team building, leadership development and building character. The participants had to work together, develop trust and believe in themselves to accomplish various tasks. Bringing these young men together in a foreign environment presents a variety of challenges.

Play It Smart Activities for the remainder of the year will include a SAT prep course for all junior class participants; Bayside Neighborhood Adopt-A-Block Spring Clean-Up days; 1st Annual Play It Smart Play Day for New England Schools; senior send-off cookout; and an Overnight leadership/ropes course.

The Play It Smart program is supported greatly at PHS not only by the faculty, staff and administration but also the community and local National Football Foundation Chapter.

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With major financial support from a broad-coalition of corporations, communities, individuals and organizations, including the NFL and the NFL Players Association, the Play It Smart program has quickly become one of the most comprehensive and effective youth development programs in the country, achieving dramatic results that include:

• 95% of seniors graduating high school, compared to 85% of their peers;



• 80% of seniors enrolling in college compared to 62% of their peers;



• Participants taking the SAT or ACT at twice the rate of their peers;



• Participants completing more than 67,000 hours of community service annually;



• Rosters increasing by 35% for teams with fewer than 40 players;



• Participants earning more than $6 million a year in scholarships; and



• 200-plus graduates earning places among the elite collegiate ranks during the 2007 season on Football Bowl Subdivision rosters.

Play It Smart builds on the positive peer influences of team sports and a participant's interest in football. The program's academic coaches are trained in a set of guiding principles and a variety of tactics, which are designed to make academic achievement the norm. Working closely with the direct support of a team's head coach and others in the community, academic coaches hold one-on-one goal setting meetings, career and life skills sessions, mandatory study halls, SAT/ACT prep classes, community service projects and other team building events.

ABOUT PLAY IT SMART
Play It Smart is an educational program established in 1998 by The National Football Foundation. The program's mission is to help student-athletes take responsibility for their futures through lessons learned on the playing field, in the classroom, and in service to others. At the heart of the program is a year-round academic coach, an official member of a team's staff, who serves as a direct link to the classroom by helping players and the team set and achieve their academic and personal development goals during the entire school year. Learn more at www.PlayItSmart.org.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME:
With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. The NFF presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., Play It Smart, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org.