Andy Cerroni’s Touchdown Connection
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I t was tough to tell who was more excited to meet the other: the senior football player or the fifth-grader. Both beamed with ear-to-ear smiles as pen pals finally saw each other in person minutes after Friday’s dominating homecoming game victory in cold and wind. “It’s awesome,” said starting fullback, long snapper and honor student Drake Sutton. “I didn’t know how good he was until I actually saw him play,” said fifth-grader Hayden Millheam. That’s exactly how Valley View fifth-grade teacher Andy Cerroni drew it up. Cerroni started the pen pal program more than 15 years ago when he taught at Ben Franklin. Cerroni’s brother was then the head football coach and high school history teacher, and the two looked for a way to connect their students. “I felt it would be an awesome experience for my students to im- prove their writing skills, as they take a lot of pride in developing letters and editing them, know- ing that a student athlete from the high school is on the other end,” Cerroni said. “I also felt that this was a wonderful opportunity for them to grow as individuals by developing a relationship with a high school student athlete.” The younger pals keep tabs on their friends. “I encourage the students to follow the football team’s progress in the newspapers and online and to use the articles as a way to come up things to write about,” Cerroni said. “My students get excited to read about them and they are especially proud when they see their pen pal’s name in newspaper articles, not only for athletic success, but academic suc- cess as well.” Back in his Ben Franklin days, Cerroni’s students walked next door to meet their pen pals at the homecoming pep rally. Students would have a tailgate party before the game and get a tour of the locker room. Now at Valley View, it’s too far to walk over during the school day, but the tailgate party expanded to include the entire school behind support of Principal Tina Posnanski and tireless work of parent volunteer Michele Divel- biss. The event draws 350 people per year, and all are invited to the homecoming game to watch from reserved seats in the end zone. After the game comes the big moment. Players, still in full pads, walk over to the end zone to meet their new friends and families for the first time. Fifth-graders present their pals with treat bags, and their own designed and colored paper jersey art projects. Parents take photos. On Friday, Athletic and Activities Director Ryan Anderson made sure the path of the student tunnel players walk through for post-game high fives aimed directly at that end zone instead of the gate toward the locker room. “This meeting has become a lot more special since we no longer get to see them at the pep rally. There is lots of excitement and pride as they see their pen pals in action and meet them for the first time,” Cerroni said. After a few seconds of call- ing for Hayden, Sutton found his friend. It turns out the football star and the fifth-grader have a few things in common. Sutton is a Valley View alumnus, and both have football family histories. Millheam’s great-grandfather, Duke, starred at Notre Dame and played for the Chicago Bears. Sut- ton’s dad was a standout at James Madison High School and then played at Winona. Letters back and forth ad- dressed family history and hot topics of the day. “He was telling me about Minecraft and how much he likes to play,” said Sutton. “It’s an awe- some game.” Next year, Millheam said he wants to add another game to his schedule: football. That earned a fist bump of ap- proval from his senior friend. Cerroni has since developed a new partner in his program, defen- sive coordinator and Ben Franklin fourth-grade teacher Erich Rutsch. The two taught together when Rutsch was hired, and now their students become pen pals after football season. The pals meet in Rotary Park after the annual bike safety class. “I was lucky enough to be able to continue this project after my brother moved on from MFHS to UW-Oshkosh,” Cerroni said. It has gone on so long he’s had pals on both ends of the spectrum. “My favorite thing now is when some of the high school football players are former students of mine who remember doing this project when they were in my class!” Valley View fifth-grader Hayden Millheam poses for a photo with his pen pal, senior Drake Sutton, while meeting for the first time after Friday night’s homecoming game. Touchdown Connection Pen pal program scores with football players and fifth-graders Andy Cerroni’s
Transcript of Andy Cerroni’s Touchdown Connection
It was tough to tell who was more excited to meet the other: the senior football player or
the fifth-grader.Both beamed with ear-to-ear
smiles as pen pals finally saw each other in person minutes after Friday’s dominating homecoming game victory in cold and wind.
“It’s awesome,” said starting fullback, long snapper and honor student Drake Sutton.
“I didn’t know how good he was until I actually saw him play,” said fifth-grader Hayden Millheam.
That’s exactly how Valley View fifth-grade teacher Andy Cerroni drew it up.
Cerroni started the pen pal program more than 15 years ago when he taught at Ben Franklin. Cerroni’s brother was then the head football coach and high school history teacher, and the two looked for a way to connect their students.
“I felt it would be an awesome experience for my students to im-prove their writing skills, as they take a lot of pride in developing letters and editing them, know-ing that a student athlete from the high school is on the other end,” Cerroni said. “I also felt that this was a wonderful opportunity for them to grow as individuals by developing a relationship with a high school student athlete.”
The younger pals keep tabs on their friends.
“I encourage the students to follow the football team’s progress in the newspapers and online and to use the articles as a way to come up things to write about,” Cerroni said. “My students get excited to read about them and they are especially proud when they see their pen pal’s name in newspaper articles, not only for athletic success, but academic suc-cess as well.”
Back in his Ben Franklin days, Cerroni’s students walked next
door to meet their pen pals at the homecoming pep rally. Students would have a tailgate party before the game and get a tour of the locker room.
Now at Valley View, it’s too far to walk over during the school day, but the tailgate party expanded to include the entire school behind support of Principal Tina Posnanski and tireless work of parent volunteer Michele Divel-biss. The event draws 350 people per year, and all are invited to the homecoming game to watch from reserved seats in the end zone.
After the game comes the big moment. Players, still in full pads, walk over to the end zone to meet their new friends and families for the first time. Fifth-graders present their pals with treat bags, and their own designed and colored paper jersey art projects. Parents take photos.
On Friday, Athletic and Activities Director Ryan Anderson made sure the path of the student tunnel players walk through for post-game high fives aimed directly at that end zone instead of the gate toward the locker room.
“This meeting has become a lot more special since we no longer get to see them at the pep rally. There is lots of excitement and pride as they see their pen pals in action and meet them for the first time,” Cerroni said.
After a few seconds of call-ing for Hayden, Sutton found his friend.
It turns out the football star and the fifth-grader have a few things in common. Sutton is a Valley View alumnus, and both have football family histories. Millheam’s great-grandfather, Duke, starred at Notre Dame and played for the Chicago Bears. Sut-ton’s dad was a standout at James Madison High School and then played at Winona.
Letters back and forth ad-dressed family history and hot topics of the day.
“He was telling me about Minecraft and how much he likes to play,” said Sutton. “It’s an awe-some game.”
Next year, Millheam said he wants to add another game to his schedule: football.
That earned a fist bump of ap-proval from his senior friend.
Cerroni has since developed a new partner in his program, defen-sive coordinator and Ben Franklin fourth-grade teacher Erich Rutsch. The two taught together when Rutsch was hired, and now their students become pen pals after football season. The pals meet in Rotary Park after the annual bike safety class.
“I was lucky enough to be able to continue this project after my brother moved on from MFHS to UW-Oshkosh,” Cerroni said.
It has gone on so long he’s had pals on both ends of the spectrum.
“My favorite thing now is when some of the high school football players are former students of mine who remember doing this project when they were in my class!”
Valley View fifth-grader Hayden Millheam poses for a photo with his pen pal, senior Drake Sutton, while meeting for the first time after Friday night’s homecoming game.
Touchdown ConnectionPen pal program scores with football players and fifth-graders
Andy Cerroni’s
Pen Pals
recent past
2012-14
