USA Women’s Soccer Champion Kelley O’Hara to Visit Normandy Elementary School

Jun 30, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; United States forward Kelley O’Hara (5) celebrates her goal during the second half against Germany in the semifinals of the FIFA 2015 Women’s World Cup at Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

To Present $5,000 to School

Be a Learning Hero has selected Bay Village Normandy Elementary School as an Ohio winner in its ‘Game Plan for Success’ contest.

To succeed in the big leagues, professional athletes aim high, listen to coaches, practice hard, and then test themselves on game day. That same game plan leads to big wins in classrooms. The ‘Game Plan for Success’ contest encourages schools, teachers, students, parents and community members to share their own stories where hard work, practice and high expectations paid off.

“Normandy Elementary School’s commitment to teaching high standards through listening and literacy exemplifies what it takes to be successful for the pros and in life. They have engaged students, families and their community to achieve a true sense of teamwork – and that should be applauded,” said Game Plan for Success Project Director Jim Cowen. “We’re excited to celebrate the success at Normandy and share their story as an example to other schools in Ohio and across the country.”

In his entry, Normandy Elementary School Principal Dan Sebring described their success in teaching to high standards through the One School, One Book Program: “Every student receives a copy of the same high quality children’s novel. Under gentle guidance, every family reads the book over the course of a designated month. Interest in the book is created and augmented at school through daily trivia questions and daily lessons in each classroom. The result is a school wide conversation about the book. Everyone at school, from teachers to bus drivers to facilities personnel, will read the same book. The conversation leaves the classroom to enter the cafeteria, the playground, the parking lot, local shops and businesses, and it comes to involve every layer of the community.”

Normandy Elementary School students and teachers will be congratulated for their success by Soccer Champion Kelley O’Hara during a school event on Friday, September 25, 2015 at 1 pm ET. O’Hara will present the school with a cash prize of $5,000.

Be A Learning Hero is a project of the New Venture Fund, supported by a group of organizations with a shared mission — providing parents with the information and resources they need to support their children’s learning and help them be successful in school.

Ed. Note: Due to limited space this event is not open to the public.