SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Today the Pac-12 Conference surprised Cabrillo Middle School art teacher Sara DeWeese with the Extra Yard for Teachers Award, a $10,000 donation to be used to support her students. The award is part of the Pac-12’s involvement with the College Football Playoff Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers program. DeWeese was selected as the recipient of the award, which seeks to decrease teachers’ out-of-pocket expenses, because of the lasting impact she has made on her students over a 20-year career.

As part of the events surrounding the 2016 Pac-12 Football Championship Game Presented by 76®, mascots from Pac-12 universities visited DeWeese’s eighth grade art class Thursday and helped them with their art projects. Then, to DeWeese’s surprise, Pac-12 Chief Marketing Officer Danette Leighton awarded DeWeese with a $10,000 check to go towards her classroom needs. 

“College sports exist to complement the academic missions of our universities,” said Leighton. “We are proud to partner with the College Football Playoff Foundation to use our premier football event to honor local educators like Sara who share our goals of inspiring students to succeed in the classroom and lead well-rounded lives.”

DeWeese, a graduate of the University of Oregon, has been teaching art at Cabrillo Middle School for two decades. She has long advocated for the power of art to complement and enhance STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education. DeWeese is the recipient of the California Teachers' Association's WHO Award for her excellence as a teacher. She is also a mainstay on the Teachers' Contract Negotiation Team in the Santa Clara Unified School District and has twice been awarded Teacher of the Year at Cabrillo Middle School. 

“Sara's dynamic personality, creative nature, and practical skill as an art teacher make her classes critical components of our students’ overall development,” said Cabrillo Middle School principal Stan Garber. “She is beloved by students and staff alike and is the consummate choice to receive the Pac-12’s Extra Yard for Teachers Award.”

The overall mission of Extra Yard for Teachers is to elevate the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering quality teachers. In addition to the donation made to DeWeese today, each Pac-12 university donated $10,000 to deserving local teachers in their communities over the course of the football season, totaling $120,000 donated by Pac-12 universities to educators across the region. 

DeWeese and her students will be honored on the field during tomorrow night’s Pac-12 Football Championship Game. Tickets for the game, to be played at Levi’s Stadium at 6 p.m. PT, are still available at pac-12.com/tickets or the Levi’s Stadium box office.