This week members of the Jaguars Ambassadors group made visits to area schools by participating in Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Pep Rallies held at Highlands Elementary School and Forrest High School. They also participated in Read Across America events celebrating the birthday of Dr. Seuss at Biltmore Elementary School and Primrose School of Julington Creek.
Jaguars Ambassador Bryan Barker attended an FCAT Pep Rally at Forrest High School. He spoke to more than 1,600 students to encourage and motivate them to do their best on the upcoming exam. The buzz from Barker's visit is still lingering in the halls. His visit was well received by the students and faculty.
"Students and teachers are still talking about what a fantastic job he did in helping to encourage and motivate the school," said one of the school's administrators.
Jaguars Ambassadors Eugene Chung and Todd Philcox participated in Read Across America Day of Reading in celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday. Philcox, a Jaguars quarterback in 1995, read "Horton Hears A Who!" to third, fourth and fifth-grade students at Biltmore Elementary. Chung, a Jaguars guard in 1995, read "Green Eggs and Ham" to three, four and five-year olds at Primrose School of Julington Creek.
National Education Association President Reg Weaver said, "As millions of people get ready to curl up with a good book on Read Across America Day, we are reminded why our program is so special: it makes reading fun!"
Jaguars Ambassador Jimmy Smith served as a guest speaker at Highlands Elementary School. In preparation for taking the FCAT exam the school held a pep rally for the students. Opening the assembly with a brief introduction of himself and his football career, Smith dove right into the meat of the discussion and took questions from students, which in turn sparked great conversation and dialogue. Smith reassured the students that they all can aim high and achieve many goals in life if they honestly and earnestly applied themselves.
The Jaguars Alumni Group (JAG) Ambassadors support the Jacksonville Jaguars football team and organization, including the public relations department, marketing department, current players, and coaching staff as requested. The "Ambassadors" also serve as a goodwill extension of the Jacksonville Jaguars football team through involvement with the community, charities, the organization, and the fans.
