Th Carolina Panthers team mantra has become “Keep Pounding” in honor of late Carolina Panthers player and coach Sam Mills. Mills first used the phrase “Keep Pounding” as a coach in an emotional speech to the team prior to the Panthers’ playoff game versus the Dallas Cowboys on Jan. 2, 2004. He spoke about commitment, dedication to teammates, team effort and never giving up. Mills asked the players to “Keep Pounding.”

In honor of this weekend’s “Big Game,” our team at NC New Schools/Breakthrough Learning came together to discuss how our network schools and educators have that same drive, passion and perseverance towards ensuring ALL students graduate ready to provide for themselves their families and their futures.

Here are some great examples of how our NC New Schools/Breakthrough Learning network team “Keep Pounding.”

Kinston Free Press | Two Early College students accepted to graduate school – a story of hard work and perseverance of two early college students who pushed themselves to go directly from early college to graduate school.

48 hours to change the world – a PBL project at Tri-County Early College pushed students to accomplish amazing results.

Shelby Star | ‘I wanted to be challenged:’ Three juniors discuss why Cleveland Early College was best choice for their education – students choosing the path less traveled to challenge themselves.

A STEM success story – student engagement is a challenging task - and the hard work pays off.

Connecting students with their futures – one college liaison goes the extra mile to ensure successful student futures.

Power of college access in rural communities - helping students envision a successful future closer to home.

Whether you are an athlete, a teacher or a student, it takes strong, passionate people to succeed in today’s world. Everyone has that ability in them - so KEEP POUNDING!