NEW ORLEANS – More than 2,300 local educators, representing all 67 of New Orleans' public schools, gathered at Champions Square on Friday, May 2, for New Schools for New Orleans' Fourth Annual NOLA Teacher Fest, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff Foundation. The beloved annual celebration recognized the dedication of public school teachers across the city—with special acknowledgment for those who have served New Orleans students for 20 years or more, navigating the city's greatest challenges, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
 
"The members and staff of the Sugar Bowl Committee are proud to have played a role in another successful Teacher Fest event," said Jeff Hundley, CEO of the Allstate Sugar Bowl.  "Together with the CFP Foundation and New Schools for New Orleans, we wanted to recognize and honor these teachers for the vitally important work they're doing in educating young people who represent the future of our city.  After another long and successful year, it was nice to recognize educators and see them taking a moment for themselves to just have fun."
 
College Football Playoff Foundation Executive Director Britton Banowsky was on hand to launch a new program geared toward honoring New Orleans teachers. Honored (honored.org) is a recognition program operated by the College Football Playoff Foundation, in collaboration with Honored, a national non-profit. It is dedicated to keeping great teachers in the classroom and to inspiring a new generation of talent to pursue teaching.
 
Banowsky and Hundley presented six teachers with $2,500 Honored grants. The inaugural Honored grant recipients for New Orleans were LaQunia Banks, Beau Bratcher, Roselyn Davis, Victoria Williams, An'Jel Moore, and Aimee Veal.  
 
"This year's Teacher Fest was not just a celebration—it was a tribute," said Dana Peterson, CEO of New Schools for New Orleans. "We honored the teachers who showed up in the face of crisis and kept showing up. Their work has fueled the progress of our students and the recovery of our city."
 
During the event, NSNO recognized over 300 educators who have taught in New Orleans public schools since 2005 or earlier. These individuals have played a critical role in guiding generations of students forward through recovery, change, and renewal.
 
Dr. Fateama S. Fulmore, Superintendent of NOLA Public Schools, joined in celebrating the city's educators. "Over the past 20 years, we've seen just how powerful and transformative a committed teacher can be," said Dr. Fulmore. "The educators we honored today didn't just teach—they stayed, they led, and they believed in what was possible for our children and this city."
 
Among those honored was Elfrida Flint, a veteran social studies teacher who returned to her classroom just weeks after the storm. "When I came back, it wasn't just to teach—it was to help rebuild something greater than myself," said Flint. "Our students deserved to know that their future still mattered, and that we would be there to help them reach it."
 
The 2025 NOLA Teacher Fest also featured live performances by New Orleans legends Juvenile, DJ Mannie Fresh, and Partners-N-Crime, along with free food and drinks, local vendors, giveaways for educators, and spaces for attendees to share their own reflections on teaching in New Orleans.
 
In addition to the more than $5 million that the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff Foundation have provided to New Orleans area schools in recent years, the Sugar Bowl recently partnered with the CFP Foundation and other CFP bowl games to provide significant funds to support the restoration of Eliot Arts Magnet School in Altadena, Calif., which was destroyed by wildfires in January. Read the full story here. 
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 29 national champions, 110 Hall of Fame players, 55 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 91-year history. The 92nd Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will double as a College Football Playoff Quarterfinal, is scheduled to be played on January 1, 2026. 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. For more information, visit www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.