Classroom Champions

Classroom Champions is an international, award-winning non-profit dedicated to connecting students with world-class athlete mentors. Classroom Champions supports students’ social and emotional learning (SEL) and academic achievement, and provides curriculum and mentorship programs to districts, schools, and teachers to encourage children to achieve successful futures. Working with 200+ Olympic, Paralympic, university student-athletes, and professional athletes who volunteer as mentors, Classroom Champions has provided more than in scholarships to Title I, rural, and Indigenous communities across the continent. Students participating in Classroom Champions see significant improvements in the classroom, teachers see improved engagement, and athlete mentors learn new skills to prepare for life after sport. Learn more at: Classroom Champions was founded in 2009 by Olympic Gold Medalist Steve Mesler, and his sister Dr. Leigh Parise (Phd - Education/Social Policy) with a goal of creating meaningful change in high-need schools as top performing athletes interact with classrooms and share their own personal journey on the social and emotional skills that helped them succeed.