EVERFI Champion Seal 2020 awarded to Rutherford County Schools

The Rutherford County Schools district has been awarded the EVERFI Champion Seal 2020.The award is a designation awarded to K-12 school districts and individual schools that have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to whole-child education through the use of EVERFI's comprehensive, evidence-informed digital programs.

These programs inform and empower students on critical issues including financial literacy, social-emotional learning, health and wellness, inclusion, and college and career readiness. Educating the whole child not only impacts how healthy, engaged and productive students are during school but also their well-being and success far beyond the K-12 years.

Tom Davidson, the founder and CEO of EVERFI, said he is thrilled for the Rutherford County Schools District has earned EVERFI's recognition.

"We launched this recognition program to highlight districts like yours that are demonstrating an exemplary commitment to whole-child education," Davidson said in a letter to the Rutherford County Schools. "It has been an honor to support your district over the years and witness the profound and continued impact on your students," he said.

Dr. Charlie Freeman, director of career and technical education said, "Rutherford County Schools has been fortunate over the past several years to receive curriculum materials,resources, and support from EVERFI. Our teachers utilize EVERFI in their classrooms to provide instruction to students in critical areas such as financial education, social-emotional learning, health and wellness, and college and career readiness. The EVERFI team provides ongoing professional development to our teachers through a variety of methods which include face-to-face training sessions along with support in a virtual environment. We appreciate the continued partnership with EVERFI and assistance from their talented staff."

CEO Davidson continued, "In these challenging times for educators and students, the announcement is an exciting time for the schools district. Recognizing that this is a uniquely challenging time for educators and students, I wanted to reach out with some exciting news and support for your district."

Davidson said the learning resources are available to districts at no cost and it has always been the goal to provide equal access to those resources regardless of ability to pay.

On Tuesday, September 15, EVERFI announced a $100 million commitment to build additional digital resources for K-12 students.

Davidson also said this moment in the country's history has reemphasized how critical educating the whole child is--in core curriculum subjects and also critical life skill topic areas. These new resources will cover existing EVERFI areas, such as Financial Education, African American History, Anti-Bullying & Compassion, Mental Health, STEM skills, College & Career Readiness, plus new in-demand topics like Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Healthcare literacy, Sustainability and many more.

"Solutions to the significant social issues that are front and center today are within our power to affect positive change. We can all be part of the answer, together," he said.