When Lakewood High School biology teacher Ann Pesta walked into school on Dec. 17, she was excited for what she thought was a luncheon recognizing the science department. As she sat down in a science classroom with current and former fellow teachers, Pesta found out that she would be headed to New Orleans in February for a trip to Super Bowl LIX.
The Cleveland Browns Foundation and the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network awarded Pesta with a trip to the Super Bowl including accommodations and flights courtesy of United Airlines due to her impact on students in her 30 years spent as an educator.
"I'm stunned. It's really exciting. I'm thrilled," Pesta said. "I think it really energized our whole department, for sure. I saw everybody was really excited. So, I think it's always nice to be recognized, and especially at this time of the year."
Pesta and other teachers throughout Northeast Ohio play a crucial role in not only educating students, but also in encouraging students to attend school. Teachers like Pesta work hard to create caring and welcoming classroom environments to inspire students to want to spend time at school.
As students' needs evolve each year, Pesta molds her teaching methods based on her students' feedback.
"I work really hard to get to know the students and understand where they're coming from, so I read the room constantly to figure out if they're understanding what's happening. If they're interested, if they're not, I'll change up what we're doing," Pesta said. "There's a lot of creative things that we can do to keep them engaged, and they never quite know what's going to happen in class – so, that's part of the fun as well."
In November 2024, the Browns and Stay in the Game! Attendance Network put out a call for nominations to find educators and school staff members in Northeast Ohio who make a difference in their communities and encourage students to come to school each day.
There are 494,971 students within the Browns region of the Network, which saw a 2.9 percent decrease in chronic absenteeism for the 2023-24 school year. Each day, students directly interact with a classroom teacher – who each have their own creative approach to engaging students and encouraging students to want to come to school. Those students are represented in the number of nominations Stay in the Game! received for teachers across the Network.
With over 500 nominations from districts across Northeast Ohio that chose to participate, Pesta accounted for 17 percent of all nominations from parents, district staff members and students – both current and former – nominating Pesta for the recognition.
"It just gives us another way to really reinforce the great things that so many of our Lakewood teachers are doing," Lakewood School District Coordinator of Student Wellness Merritt Waters said. "They do go out of their way to make kids comfortable at school, help them feel welcome and that they can really be themselves. Just to see (Pesta's) face, like watching what she thought might happen was priceless."
Pesta, who has taught in the Lakewood School District for over 30 years, grew up a Browns fan and watches her team play every week. She still remembers sitting in the cold weather in 1989, watching the Browns pull off a fake field goal for a touchdown in their Week 15 overtime win over the Vikings. After lining up to kick a 31-yard field goal, holder and backup QB Mike Pagel ran to the right and tossed the ball to LB Van Waiters to earn a win in front of an elated Pesta and the rest of the Browns home crowd.
Her passion for the Browns is second only to her passion displayed in the classroom. Throughout her nominations, students, parents and peers described the powerful impact Pesta has as an educator.
"She is the most caring and compassionate teacher that I have had," one student wrote in the nomination. "She works so hard every day to make class fun and makes sure we are learning. She cares about every one of her students. Whenever I have a rough day, I always feel as though I can talk to her, and she will listen and understands. I am really grateful to have her as a teacher."
Fellow biology teacher Alice Hubbard helped coordinate the surprise ticket giveaway, hosting WR David Bell, CB Tony Brown II and RT Wyatt Teller – as well as Browns staff members – in her classroom before Pesta found out she would be heading to the Super Bowl.
Pesta joined Hubbard at Lakewood High School after spending several years teaching at Lakewood Middle School. Hubbard said Pesta has become an integral part of a tight-knit science department.
"She's one that has so much enthusiasm to begin with and she's passionate about everything she does," Hubbard said. "So, I knew that this was going to be something that not only gave her credit for the passion that she has for teaching, but it just also gives her something extra to look forward to."
The Stay in the Game! Attendance Network – launched in 2019 by the Cleveland Browns Foundation, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and Proving Ground out of Harvard, now managed by Battelle – has worked with education experts for the past five years with the goal of dramatically improving school attendance and reducing chronic absenteeism.
The Network supports 161 districts throughout the state of Ohio, with 108 of those districts within the Browns region, including Lakewood City School District. Through the Network's efforts, 22,164 more students across the state of Ohio were not chronically absent at Network school districts for the 2023-24 school year.
Lakewood School District began partnering with Stay in the Game! in 2023 as a learning district before transitioning to a planning district with full access to resources and online Playbook for the 2024-25 school year. Since then, the district has benefited from the resources and strategies provided by the Network.
"We've been really appreciative to get involved with Stay in the Game!" Waters said. "The tools for data analysis, just asking us really good questions, the website that leads us through our Playbook – it really helps us know who to involve, helps us get creative in terms of how we're communicating with our community."
From hosting Gym Class Takeovers – where Browns players lead students through flag football drills as a reward for good attendance – to special giveaways like Super Bowl tickets, Stay in the Game! works to find creative ways to incentivize students to attend school.
Students who are not chronically absent from school are 3.9 times more likely to read on grade level by the end of third grade and three times more likely to graduate from high school on time. Teachers play an important role in helping lower the numbers of chronically absent students through their daily efforts in the classroom.
While Pesta certainly appreciated the recognition from Stay in the Game!, her passion for education goes beyond any accolades or Super Bowl trips.
"The rapport with the kids, the banter back and forth, the fun that we have, that's what keeps me coming back," Pesta said. "Students just need someone that's going to be there day after day and consistently care about them, and to see them grow and change and grow up is really a big deal."
