Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph spoke to students of Westwood Elementary about their educational backgrounds, occupation and why it is important to stay in school as part of the Learning is Cool program.
The Learning is Cool program is an educational incentive program that rewards students for strong academic performance. The second-year program is a collaboration between the Marvin Lewis Community Fund, Cincinnati Public Schools and sponsors.
The program is designed to encourage more than 20,000 CPS students in grades 1-8 to make the "A" Honor Roll each quarter. Students who make the "A" Honor Roll at least two quarters of the year are invited to an Academic Achievement Ceremony at Paul Brown Stadium.
At the beginning of the school year, students received "Learning is Cool" notebooks filled with letters to every student from Coach Lewis and the players, a poster, and a pencil. Quarterly rewards, including Bengals tickets and visits to Bengals practice, are issued for students who make the "A" Honor Roll. Teachers and principals can earn incentives as well, with the winning schools awarded new technology.
Bengals players participating as spokesmen for the program this year are Laveranues Coles, Robert Geathers, Johnathan Joseph and Domata Peko. Corporate partners for the program include Baker Concrete, Best Buy, Chef's Choice Catering, Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Enquirer, Cintas, Kroger, Local 12, Mercy Health Partners, The Merten Company, PNC Bank, Teammates for Kids and Touchstone.
