TAF Academy students take on the Seahawks

On October 27th, twenty-five excited TAF Academy students were interviewed and participated in a photo shoot to be featured by Legion of Youth, a community program formed by a partnership between the Seattle Seahawks and Boeing Company.

Legion of Youth aims to highlight organizations that serve youth throughout the Northwest. For each home game during the regular Seahawks season, 100 tickets are awarded to an organization. This season, TAF Academy was chosen to be one of them.

At TAF Academy, twenty-five students were selected to be honored by Legion of Youth. Students were nominated by their respective teachers who considered their work ethic, commitment to service, community, and leadership. Each of the twenty-five students have the pleasure of inviting three guests along to celebrate and enjoy their special day at the game on November 20th when the Seattle Seahawks take on the Philadelphia Eagles. They’ll also be featured on Legion of Youth’s website.

In preparation for their big day, Seahawks Community Outreach Manager Keli Imus sat down with each student to interview them for their website feature and explain what they should expect to happen during the game. “You’ll have a chance to meet some of the players and we’ll have Boeing executives talk to you guys if any of you are interested in engineering or computer sciences,” Imus said. “You will get to talk to these executives about what they did and how they got to be at the top of their industry.”

Along with an opportunity to shake hands and converse with players and executives, students will also receive a Legion of Youth sweatshirt, concession vouchers, a NFL approved bag to be used inside the stadium, and parking passes for their drivers.

A common question Imus asked the students as she interviewed them was who they planned to bring along as their guests. Zachary Ellis, a TAF Academy 6th grader, was quick to answer as he’s already made his decision as soon as he found out he’d been chosen.

“I’m bringing my brother and my two nephews!” he declared wearing a smile that extended from ear to ear. Most of the students planned to take family members, and some wanted to take their teachers as well.

The interview process was a special opportunity for each student to shine as they shared the things most important to them. From sports to extracurricular activities, music tastes to siblings, everyone had something very particular that they wanted to highlight.

Ariana Sandoval Castellano, another TAF Academy 6th grader, showed off her notebook drawings she named Faces of Victory – a series she’s been working on this year. When asked by Imus what her favorite type of math is, Ariana explained she prefers doing hard math. “I like math because when I’m clueless it means that’s the class I’m going to improve more on.”

The day wrapped with countless pictures taken, many stories told, and excitement felt campus-wide. Students at TAF Academy work hard throughout the year, and it’s always a good day when they are recognized not only by the community in which they’re immediately a part of, but on a larger scale.

Look for the TAF Academy student profiles on Legion of Youth’s website after November 20th.