Priest Holmes returned home to his alma mater this week to kick off a new student incentive program designed to encourage students to stay in school, improve their academics, and cultivate the character traits that build a strong school community.
The Priest Holmes Foundation has teamed up with the San Antonio Spurs Foundation to give Northside ISD 10 tickets and five parking passes to almost every Spurs home game. That means five students and a parent will attend each game. Judson ISD and the Carver Academy also are participating in the 2008-09 student incentive program.
At Northside, tickets will be awarded to students who exemplify one of the six "Pillars of Character," which are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship.
Northside's character curriculum is based on six "Pillars of Character," developed by the Josephson Institute, and counselors and teachers weave lessons about the pillars into classroom activities. Each year, the Northside Education Foundation selects six NISD graduates to represent each Pillar of Character. In 2002, Priest Holmes was named the Pillar of Character for Fairness.
"Character is a big deal," Holmes said. "You have to have that distinctive quality that sets you apart. It's that something special about you."
The first 15 NISD students to be awarded Spurs tickets were announced at a kickoff ceremony this week at Driggers Elementary School.
"If anyone needs help, I try to help them as much as I can," said Spurs ticket winner and Driggers Student Council President Isaac Diaz. And, "I care a lot about others."
Future schools will be selected at random to and will be invited by the Guidance Department to nominate students.
Priest Holmes played football at Marshall High School, where he led his team to the state championship game. After graduating from high school in 1992, he attended the University of Texas at Austin. In 1997, Holmes' NFL career took him to Baltimore where he played for the Ravens and earned a ring in Super Bowl XXXV. In 2001, he joined the Kansas City Chiefs where he set team records in career rushing attempts, career rushing yards, career rushing touchdowns, and total touchdowns.
Since retiring from the NFL last year, Holmes once again is calling San Antonio home and has established the Priest Holmes Foundation, which is committed to encouraging education and enhancing the lives of children through comprehensive programs and scholarships.
