April 29, 2008

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Head Football Coach Dale Carlson and members of his Ohio Dominican football team recently took a trip to Madison Elementary School in Groveport, Ohio to boost their efforts to master the Ohio Achievement Test (OAT).  ODU continues to get involved in the community as part of their National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Champions of Character  initiative.

       

Members of the football team and Coach Carlson met with fifth graders on Tuesday morning.  They discussed the importance of working hard, setting goals and overcoming difficult situations with the young students.  The Panthers also discussed similar experiences in testing taking and the importance of hard work.  In the short assembly in the Madison gymnasium the players were also able to discuss their record setting season from a year ago where they went 12-1 and won their first Mid-States Football Association Conference Championship.

"Coach Carlson related football to school and the players were able to share some real life experiences with the students," said Principal Cyndi Toledo.  "My hope is after listening to Coach Carlson and his players, the students will see there is importance in setting goals and striving to be the best they can be in life, even though they may run into tough situations."

       

This is one of many Champions of Character programs Ohio Dominican participates in throughout the year.  The Champions of Character program is designed to instill an understanding of character values in sport and provide practical tools for student-athletes, coaches and parents to use in modeling exemplary character traits.