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Frankford Teacher Honored as ‘Santander Community Quarterback’

FRANKFORD HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER HONORED AS ‘SANTANDER COMMUNITY QUARTERBACK’ BY SANTANDER BANK AND THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Frankford Native Recognized for Social Good and Rewarded with $1,000 Charitable Donation and Exclusive Eagles Game Experience

Lena Namnun of Delran, N.J. was recognized for her incredible work in the community at Sunday’s Eagles game as an honoree in the inaugural ‘Santander Community Quarterback’ program. Santander Bank and the Philadelphia Eagles have introduced the program to honor exceptional individuals who exemplify leadership, dedication and commitment to improving the communities where they live. Ten winners will be selected by a panel of judges made up of Santander and Eagles representatives throughout the season.

Namnun has spent the past eight years teaching history at Frankford High School and the past five overseeing the peer mentoring program at the school. During this time, she has created a community and school culture based on support, empathy and inclusion. Namnun leads the juniors and seniors in the peer mentorship program as they support freshmen in their transition to high school. She introduced a Spring Gala, hosted by the upperclassmen involved in the mentoring program, for students with disabilities at the school, many of whom are unable to attend the school’s prom. Namnun encourages students to break the barriers between themselves and their special education classmates. She has worked tirelessly to cultivate a more inclusive environment for Frankford’s students, putting in hundreds of volunteer hours for her students.  Follow this link for more on her work at Frankford.

Namnun has longstanding ties to Frankford High. She attended the school and met her husband of 25 years there. He nominated her for the Santander Community Quarterback program.

As a winner, Namnun received $1,000 for the local nonprofit organization of her choice and a VIP experience at the Eagles home game versus New York, which included the chance to watch the game in the Santander Field Club, located in the end zone at Lincoln Financial Field. At the end of the season, fans will have the opportunity to vote for one of three finalists to be named the Top Community Quarterback. The winner will receive an additional $4,000 to donate to a local nonprofit of his or her choice.

“Santander Community Quarterback” honoree Lena Namnun with her husband Juan at the Eagles game on September 24th – photo courtesy of Santander Bank and the Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles and Santander are committed to recognizing outstanding individuals and deeply respect the people who make the Greater Philadelphia region a better place. Nominations are open now through November 27, 2017 and fans will have the opportunity vote for the Top Community Quarterback from December 6 through 15. For more information or to nominate an outstanding individual you know, please visit: www.santanderbank.com/CommunityQB.

 

Santander is the Official Bank of the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Happy 90th Birthday, Walter Bahr

Interesting story from phillysoccerpage.net about a former Frankford High Soccer Coach, Walter Bahr.

Photo from FLICKR

For decades, he has lived in Boalsburg, Pa., a few miles from State College. Still, more than half of Walter’s coaching career was in Philadelphia – 17 years at Frankford High School and three years at Temple (before his 14 years coaching at Penn State).

Read the rest of the story at this link.

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Frankford High Nabs Major Grant for Diplomas Now

Mayor Kenney, Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez and AT&T Mid-Atlantic President Mike Schweder presented a $500,000 AT&T Foundation grant to support ninth-grade students at Frankford High School through Johns Hopkins’ Talent Development Secondary Diplomas Now program on October 14th.

Diplomas Now partners with the school community to reorganize the schedule so each student at risk has caring adults and those adults have the tools to improve achievement. Working with administrators and teachers, a Diplomas Now team sets goals based on students’ attendance, behavior and course performance. They develop a strategic plan, implement an early warning system to identify struggling students and regularly review the data. Teachers and the Diplomas Now team craft individual student plans that include more math and English time and teacher teams with shared planning time.

Read this excellent report from Newsworks at this link.  It explains what the problems are and possible solutions to keeping students in school to graduate.   Its long but the problem is complex.  Take the time.  These kids are the future.