Quarterfield Students Partake in 'Back to Football' NFL Event

The dew had just begun to dry when fourth graders of Elementary took the field Thursday morning to partake in the school’s “Back to Football” event.

Throughout the day, students ranging from pre-K to 5^th grade kicked, caught and punted footballs as the school encouraged active lifestyles, using the return of the NFL season as the catalyst for physical fitness.

While living an active lifestyle has always been key for faculty and students at Quarterfield Elementary, Principal Jennifer Green saw a unique chance when she was notified of an opportunity to partner with the NFL.

The partnership gave Green a chance to get up to $15,000 in grant money.

As a part of NFL’s "Play 60" program, the league is accepting submissions from schools throughout the nation in an effort called “Back to Football.” From the program, 34 schools will be selected to receive health and wellness grants based on the evidence submitted by the faculty of the students’ commitment to living an active lifestyle.

“Physical fitness and staying active is already a big focus for us,” Green said. “This was just aligning our activity to the standards of the program.”

Once Green was onboard for the chance to earn extra funding for the school she contacted second-year PE teacher Bobby Curran to head up the field day.

"The hardest part wasn’t getting the kids excited, it was planning the event amid earthquakes and hurricanes," said Curran.

“This week was the first full week we had. It was a crunch to fit it in,” Curran said. “But I’ve been getting [the kids] jazzed up for this by having punt-throw-kick competitions in PE.”

Curran, a Steelers fan recovering from last weekend’s Ravens loss, gathered parent-volunteers to increase the community’s involvement.

“[Community] is huge. It just brings us all together,” he said.

Throughout the football-filled day, students took part in various football drills, many of which are actually executed by teams throughout the state. It’s no coincidence, Curran is the defensive coordinator for Chesapeake High School’s varsity football team in Baltimore County.

Fits of laughter and finger pointing were a common scene Thursday when the kids watched one another run through “tire drills,” practice kickoffs and perform defensive back drills.

“Football, it’s not all about the collisions,” Curran said. “It’s the ultimate team game. It teaches kids strategy and it teaches them to work together.”

The deadline for submitting their school’s “Back to Football” event is Sept. 22, so the faculty only has a few days to gather their six pictures and two photos. But once their submission is complete, Quarterfield teachers and families will have to sit and wait before learning if they’ve been chosen for extra funding.

"It’s great to see the kids active, but the main purpose is getting additional money for the department," Curran said.

“There’s a whole health game I’d love to do with the students, but its $2,000,” he said. “[The funding] would be a step towards getting a better healthy curriculum.”