All In! Grady High School Receives $50,000 Donation From Atlanta Football Host Committee and College Football Playoff Foundation

The gymnasium at Henry W. Grady High School rocked with thunderous applause on Friday, Sept. 22, as students, teachers, and staff gathered to celebrate a $50,000 donation from the College Football Playoff Foundation and the Atlanta Football Host Committee. In honor of hardworking students and teachers, the donation will be used for professional learning, enhancing the arts, and to support teachers in the classroom.

Announced during the “All In” Partnership Ceremony, the event was held to celebrate the Extra Yard for Teachers initiative and the Atlanta Football Host Committee, the organization tasked with helping plan and produce the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship. Headliners for Friday’s event included: Grady Principal Dr. Betsy Bockman; Carl Adkins, executive director of the Atlanta Football Host Committee; Britton Banowsky, executive director of the College Football Playoff Foundation; and WSB-TV morning anchor Fred Blankenship.

Grady plans to spend the allocated funds in the following ways: $10,000 for the creation of a high school arts symposium and expo; $5000 to enhance the Engineering Career Pathway through buying materials and adequate storage; $10,000 to purchase a mobile sound system and an athlete board to highlight the accomplishments of the student- athletes; $10,000 to purchase furniture and technology to create a professional development/learning environment that facilitates collaboration and innovation; and $15,000 to purchase ergonomically correct furniture and desks to increase movement in special education resource rooms.

Dr. Bockman said she is extremely grateful to Extra Yard for Teachers for the donation.

“This generous donation comes at a much-needed time with the loss of all Title 1 funding,” Dr. Bockman said. “In addition to updating the gymnasium to highlight our student-athletes, professional learning, and launching a metro Atlanta Arts Symposium to showcase Grady and other area high school students who are interesting in showing their work, we hope the donation for the arts will be the seed money to create an annual event to support fine arts for high school artists across the Atlanta region.”