MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Mountainview Elementary School has 50,000 reasons to be happy today. That's because the Big 12 Conference, in partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation and Lakeshore Learning Materials, unveiled its Mountainview Elementary School library makeover this morning.
 
Through a $50,000 grant from the College Football Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers initiative, Mountainview's library has undergone its first renovation since the school opened nearly 30 years ago.
 
Today's dedication ceremony included Britton Banowsky, College Football Playoff Executive Director, Bob Bowlsby, Big 12 Commissioner, Kevin Carnes, Lakeshore Learning Materials Educational Division President, Keli Zinn, Deputy Director of Athletics at West Virginia University, Dr. Eddie Campbell, Monongalia County Schools Superintendent, and Angela Dickerson, Mountainview Elementary School Principal
 
Each made brief remarks during today's unveiling.
 
According to Bowlsby, supporting teachers has always been important to the College Football Playoff leadership group.
 
"The 10 commissioners that constitute the College Football Playoff leadership, and at that time Mr. Banowsky was one of them as a conference commissioner, all of us looked around the table and between our own academic preparation, our parents, grandparents and siblings, we had about 40 relationships with teachers," he explained. "And so for the foundation, it just seemed like a natural that we would support the teaching profession and to help support teachers convey the messages they do."
 
Banowsky indicated that his organization has donated approximately $35 million to schools across the country since the inception of the Extra Yard for Teachers program. In the Big 12 alone, today's makeover is one of three being undertaken this year.
 
Next month, the Big 12 will unveil another school library makeover in Kansas City, Missouri, during the conference's men's and women's basketball championships.
 
Previously, elementary schools in Ames, Iowa, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Arlington and Dallas, Texas, have also undergone makeovers.
 
"We support the teachers; that's what we do," Banowsky said. "We just believe teachers are among the most important people in the country, and we want to support them."
 
While making that declaration, Banowsky announced an additional $5,000 grant from the College Football Playoff Foundation will be awarded to Mountainview for any school project they deem necessary.

Dickerson, speaking on behalf of the Mountainview teachers and the approximately 750 students grades pre-K to five, expressed her gratitude to the Big 12, the College Football Playoff Foundation and West Virginia University Intercollegiate Athletics for today's event.
 
"This grant that we've been blessed with has really enabled us to create a space (students) deserve and will enjoy for years to come," she said. "We really want our library to be the hub – the main part – of the school, and that's exactly what we were able to do with the funding.
 
"I want to thank Dr. (Eddie) Campbell, superintendent in our district, for thinking of Mountainview. When they got the call saying, 'Hey, do you have a school that could benefit from a library renovation' they felt Mountainview school with awesome kids deserved this, so thank you very much."
 
Dickerson also saluted the hard work Zinn did in coordinating all of the entities to make this a reality.
 
"I want to thank WVU for being a beacon in our community and helping our children realize that their possibilities are endless," she said. "There are many things that are available to them once they leave the Mon County school system."
 
"What a great opportunity for us to come together and celebrate the positive impact the Big 12 Conference has on West Virginia," Zinn added. "Oftentimes, within the University and the athletics department, we recognize that value, but today we have the pleasure of seeing the commitment go above and beyond West Virginia University and to see its impact on our community.
 
"All of these parties came together and through their efforts and generosity, they were able to improve the learning environment here at Mountainview. We are super-excited for everyone in this school to be able to celebrate this today," Zinn said.
 
Carnes, who worked closely with Dickerson to make sure all of the makeover materials suited the school's overall look, traveled from California to be at this morning's presentation. 
 
He said each library dedication he's attended has been "thrilling."
 
"We couldn't do this without the wonderful teachers who deserve the resources that they now have in this library," he said. "My mom was a teacher for 20 years, so this is very personal to me."
 
Before today's presentation, second-grade students from Mrs. Margaret Vanscoy's classroom were able to see their new library for the first time.
 
One child remarked that she didn't want to leave. Several "awesomes" could also be heard. Mrs. Vanscoy said she has been teaching second graders now for 44 years.
 
"I now have the children of the children I once had as second graders, and there is nothing else I'd rather do than getting up early and coming to school and looking at these faces every day," she said. "It's pretty awesome."

Judging from all of the bright smiles on the children's faces this morning, awesome is definitely the appropriate word for the day!