NEW ORLEANS (May 21, 2024) – The Allstate Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff Foundation, working in partnership with New Schools for New Orleans, recently donated $8,000 to New Orleans teachers and principals as part of the celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week.
 
"We're honored to be able to recognize teaching excellence with financial support of classroom projects," said Jeff Hundley, the chief executive officer of the Allstate Sugar Bowl. "Teachers are so important to the future of our city and they remain underappreciated. We will continue to work with the College Football Playoff Foundation to do everything possible to strengthen the teaching profession in our region."
   
Recognized with $1,000 DonorsChoose cards were Michelle Guerrero (teacher) and Brandon Ferguson (principal) from the International School of Louisiana-Algiers, Claudia Tozzatto (teacher) and Christy Ivie (principal) from Success Prep at Thurgood Marshall, Monchere Paul (teacher) and Maurice McMorris (principal) from ReNEW Schaumburg, and Jenae Marshall (teacher) and Korbin Johnson (principal) from KIPP Central City Primary. DonorsChoose cards are gift cards that allow the recipient to choose a classroom project to support using the funds on the card.
  International School of Louisiana-Algiers
Brandon Ferguson has spent 22 years in education, including 13 in New Orleans with the last four years as the principal of the International School of Louisiana-Algiers. Michelle Guerrero has eight years of experience in education and currently teaches fourth-grade math, science, social studies, and target language arts (Spanish). "Michelle's commitment to her students and the ISL community is top notch!" said Ferguson. "She is committed to the implementation of the new social studies standards through our partnership with KIPP and NOLA Public Schools and she oversees the implementation of the grades 3-5 science curriculum on our campus. Michelle is a true leader at ISL and one of the most humble individuals that I have the pleasure of knowing."
  Success Prep at Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall principal Christy Ivie has been in education for 15 years while Claudia Tozzatto has 19 years in the profession. "Ms. Tozzatto has continuously adapted to the changing needs of our middle school multilingual learners this year," said Ivie. "As our students' needs have grown and evolved, she has constantly adapted to meet those needs. This spring, she has been working closely with our Director of ML Services to design and implement an intensive class for our newcomer students with limited or interrupted formal schooling. She has embraced each new challenge with a positive mindset and keeps our students' needs at the center of every decision she makes. Ms. Tozzatto has a calming, balanced presence that makes her students feel safe. She is an amazing teacher and teammate."
  KIPP Central City Primary
Korbin Johnson has been in the education field for 21 years, including the last 19 years at KIPP New Orleans, while Jenae Marshall is in her second year of education. She is a homeroom teacher for a first-grade classroom nicknamed "Stompers" after a Mardi Gras krewe. "Ms. Marshall is among the most professional and dedicated educators that we have at KCCP," said Johnson. "She most closely embodies our values of 'Persistence' and 'Reflect and Grow' because she is always finding ways to make her classroom better and to better serve her students. Her classroom's student population has some of the most diverse needs in the building and she works with each individual relentlessly. Ms. Marshall avoids some of the more typical teacher mindset traps of blame or complaining, instead focusing on how she can solve the challenges with her strengths. We hope she will be a life-time KCCP Panther!"
  ReNEW Schaumburg
Maurice McMorris, the principal at ReNEW Schaumburg, has 28 years of experience in education. Monchere Paul, a seventh-grade math teacher, has 22 years in the education profession.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff Foundation have been working together for many years to support teachers in a variety of initiatives. The primary objectives have been to recruit, retain, and recognize teachers in the New Orleans area. The partnership has committed in excess of $5 million to the New Orleans education community.
 
"We are happy to have invested in teachers in New Orleans for over a decade now and we are proud of the partnership we have built with the Allstate Sugar Bowl and New Schools New Orleans to continue supporting educators in that region," said Britton Banowsky, the executive director of the CFP Foundation.
 
Last year, the launch of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Teacher Community created the first inclusive citywide community for public school teachers. That initiative includes the New Orleans Teacher Fest. The third annual Teacher Fest was held May 4 at the Superdome's Champions Square and celebrated educators in New Orleans with free food, drinks and live music. Hundreds came out to enjoy and listen to Hot Boy Ronald, Roi "Chip" Anthony, and DJ Polo, and to win great prizes.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 29 national champions, 107 Hall of Fame players, 52 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 90-year history. The 91st Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will double as a College Football Playoff Quarterfinal, is scheduled to be played on January 1, 2025. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards, scholarships and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors thousands of student-athletes each year, while injecting over $2.5 billion into the local economy in the last decade.