With the seventh-graders of Fostoria Junior/Senior High School seated in front of him on Tuesday, Tracy Troxel asked how many of them wanted to go to college.
Most of them raised their hands.
Troxel, chairman of the board of director of the IMagINe for Youth foundation, then introduced the Micah Hyde Champions Club, which presents students with the opportunity to gain $5,000 in scholarship money through participating in athletics and achieving honor roll-level grades in school.
The seventh-graders are the first class in Fostoria City Schools to have the opportunity through the foundation, which was founded by Hyde, a veteran safety for the NFL's Buffalo Bills and a former all-Ohio player for Fostoria High School.
Plans are for students in grades 3 through 6 to become eligible next year and for those in kindergarten through second grade to be involved in 2023.
A point system will reward youngsters quarterly during their school years through graduation for participating in more than one sport - from the community level to high school varsity - and for keeping their grades up. A certain number of points are required to receive the scholarship funds.
Hyde, from his home in Buffalo, spoke to the students via Zoom teleconferencing during Tuesday's assembly in the junior high gymnasium.
"We'll spend as much money as we have to for you to go to college and spend it on books or room and board or whatever you have to spend it on," Hyde said.
"I guess the moral of the story is with me growing up in Fostoria, like you guys, I was always into sports. I think sports made me who I am today. The relationships that I've developed along the way have taught me so much about life, and, obviously, academics was a big part of that."
IMagINe for Youth's stated goals for the Champions Club are: to increase academic achievement; to develop multi-sport athletes; and, create a sense of community.
"The ball's in your court," said Hyde, who played basketball and baseball in addition to football while at FHS prior to graduating in 2010.
"Fostoria City Schools is extremely grateful for the continued support from the IMagINe for Youth Foundation, and specifically Micah," Superintendent Andrew Sprang said in an email. "The Champions Club is a true reflection of who Micah was growing up in Fostoria, a scholar athlete.
"I believe that the Champions Club has the opportunity to create a culture with our youth today that encourages academic excellence as well as engagement.
"Micah is the example of success by doing these things, and his commitment to giving back to his roots is second to none. This is an amazing opportunity that gets our kids focused on setting goals for themselves and working hard to achieve them with some fun and excitement along the way."
Athletic Director Tim Murray will record the points for the program, which will include students who move in from outside the Fostoria district. While the Champions Club is geared toward athletes, Murray noted that extracurricular activities of any kind are important to an individual's development.
"We're in a world right now of research and data, and the bottom line is, if you're involved in stuff - sports, band, choir, you name it - you're going to be much more successful in school and much more successful when you walk out the door when you graduate," he said. "We have to incentivize that because we just don't have enough kids who are participating in these things. So, we're going to throw that carrot out there to get them to do it.
"We're just blessed that Micah is giving us this opportunity. He knows. If they don't listen to him, I don't know who they're going to listen to, man."