Renaissance students recently had the incredible opportunity to face off against teams from other schools in a flag football competition at the New York Jets’ Atlantic Health Training Center in Florham Park. Eleven 6th graders made the trip to play and four 8th graders served as mentors, assisting the Jets staff.
The Jets and NJ Board of Public Utilities hosted 6th grade students from 12 different local schools in Northern NJ to wrap up the Play 60 Flag Football program. For more than 15 years, the NFL PLAY 60 initiative has been the League's national Youth Health and Wellness platform to empower youth to get physically active for at least 60 minutes a day and encourage a healthy lifestyle.
The day was filled with fun, camaraderie, and unforgettable moments. Renaissance’s own Mr. Colon and Mr. Prasarn also joined in on the action and may have even become Jets fans in the process! Additionally, two students, Sarah Singh and Linus Fallace, were awarded tickets for themselves and their families to the NY Jets vs. the Atlanta Falcons game next month. There, they'll have the unique opportunity to escort the team out of the tunnel during that game.
The event was made even more special as students got to meet Jets players Garrett Wilson (pictured below) and Quinnen Williams, and even went head-to-head with Coach Robert Saleh's own son!
“This is an amazing initiative for our middle school students,” said Renaissance Principal Maria Francisco. “Students are so excited they plan to start a flag football team that can compete in the future.”