Kicking Off College Football Season with a Heisman in Baton Rouge

College football season kicks off this weekend. Excitement is high all over the country as fans dust off their jerseys and start preparing the snacks before settling into their favorite spot on the couch to cheer on their favorite team.

San Jose State will be hosted by the No. 6 USC Trojans, featuring the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious award in college sports and named after a relative of Great Hearts Harveston Head of School, Samuel Heisman. Mr. Heisman is the Founding Head of School at Great Hearts Harveston, the first Great Hearts Academy to open in Louisiana.  The newly constructed campus started the school year in Baton Rouge earlier this month.

Sam Heisman’s great, great grand uncle was John Heisman, the athletic director of the Downtown Athletic Club, the organization that created the award in 1935 to recognize “the most valuable college football player east of the Mississippi.”  The award was named in his honor after his death in 1936 and broadened to include players west of the Mississippi.  John Heisman had a rich career in college athletics as a football player, a head coach, and an athletic director.

With the football attachment in his namesake, Sam and his team know just how important college football is in the South, and especially Baton Rouge. Upper School Dean of Students Alicia Carelus says she is a huge football fan. “I love watching the Tigers play on Saturdays,” she said. Athletic Director Austin Ventura is excited to bring athletic programs that celebrates an athlete’s character as much as their skill.

“College Football in the South brings the community together in celebration,” said Ventura. “This is what we are striving for with our athletics program at Great Hearts Harveston We want to bring our community together in celebration of our teams. In our athletics program, we focus on the whole student-athlete. We want to grow the hearts and minds of student-athletes through the beauty of competition.”

Ventura recently held tryouts for flag football and cross-country at the campus.

As you place your frozen bagel bites in the oven and await the arrival of your friends and family to watch your favorite game, consider signing up for a tour of Great Hearts Harveston. Tours are the most powerful way to witness how our students grow into great-hearted leaders, scholars, and athletes. Reserve your tour spot today.

Limited seats remain for the 2023-2024 school year. Submit an application to our brand new, tuition-free, classical academy before space fills up. Visit https://harveston.greatheartsamerica.org for more information.

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