November 17, 2010

Area students with good grades to be honored at Saturday's game

Elementary school students who have achieved good grades this fall will be the special guests of Tech Athletics Saturday when the Golden Eagles host No. 4 Jacksonville State in Tucker Stadium. Kickoff is at 4 p.m.

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Elementary school students who have achieved good grades this fall will be the special guests of Tennessee Tech University Athletics on Saturday when the Golden Eagles host No. 4 Jacksonville State in an Ohio Valley Conference game in Tucker Stadium that will determine the league champion. Kickoff is at 4 p.m.

Tech is “Celebrating Academic Excellence” by recognizing top achieving students, including TTU student-athletes who were named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll during the 2010 spring semester.

Along with the Tech group of nearly 200, area elementary students are invited to the game, with free admission the reward for making good grades. The students will be recognized on the field during pregame festivities.

Every elementary student who has made good grades this fall should receive an invitation to take part in the event through their school. Invitations have been sent to schools in several Upper Cumberland counties. Students may exchange their “Achievement Voucher” for a ticket at any of the ticket booths at Tucker Stadium the day of the game, or may get their tickets prior to game day at the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center.

“Our goal is to publicly recognize excellence in academics among all our area youth,” said Lance Jasitt, TTU assistant athletic director for academics. “We’re committed to academic success within the Tech athletics program, and you can see the result in the large number of our student-athletes who are named to the athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

“This event is a chance to show kids in all our schools how important it is to work hard in the classroom and achieve academic success,” Jasitt said. “By bringing these young kids together with the college student-athletes, we hope they see that learning is a lifelong process.”

All eligible participating students will be admitted to the game free, and will assemble on the field prior to the game. Students are asked to arrive early and gather on the track beneath the scoreboard in Tucker Stadium at 3:20 p.m. The recognition on the field will be held prior to kickoff.

The student will have the opportunity to meet and talk with TTU student-athletes on the field. A pregame P.A. announcement will recognize all of the students on the field as a group, and the Golden Eagle football team will greet the students when it takes the field.

The Magic 98.5 Tailgate Park opens at 1 p.m. and families of the elementary students are encouraged to come early to participate in other activities.

For additional information on “Celebrating Academic Excellence,” call the Athletics Department at (931) 372-3940.