Under the bright blue sky, CEA members and their family and friends gathered at Rentschler Field this Saturday to enjoy food fresh from the grill, catch up with one another, and play some cornhole at the CEA Teacher Tailgate ahead of UConn’s homecoming game. Teacher voices cheered the Huskies on to a 17-10 win against Rice University.
“It’s more stressful than ever to be a teacher but today we have a few hours to come together and chill out, enjoy each other’s company, eat some great food, and cheer on UConn,” said CEA President Kate Dias. “Every year we meet new people and reconnect with old friends. It’s so much fun.”
The tailgate included hamburgers and hotdogs grilled up by Red Rock Tavern, a variety of other food, music, and games of cornhole, football toss, and ladder golf. Teachers were also treated to dozens of prizes that included CEA Member Benefits swag and gift cards.
Darien teacher Jay Camillo was won of the winners of a new CEA baseball shirt.
Cheshire teachers Danny Martins and Emily Futoma both had luck on their side and won raffle prizes during the tailgate—a newly designed CEA baseball shirt for Martins and a Starbucks gift card for Futoma.
“We’re season ticketholders, and we come to every home game, so when we saw notice of this event, we said ‘this is perfect'” said Martins.
“In recent years, teaching has become more challenging, so it’s always nice to have more support and to lean on and and talk to other people who understand the shift in education. It’s nice to meet other colleagues, other people who love to do what you do,” Futoma said.
Martins added, “It’s nice to get out of the building and socialize, to get to know people on a personal level as well as a professional one.”
“We do all the sporting events through CEA,” said Plymouth teacher Jill Levandoski who explained she’s purchased discounted tickets to Yankees and New England Revolution games in the past.
“Especially if you have a family, tickets for everything are so expensive nowadays, so the CEA Member Benefits discounts are a help—plus they’re just fun,” she continued. “You get things too—I have teacher mugs from Yankee Stadium, so it’s really nice.”
Plymouth teacher Jill Levandoski shows off her cornhole skills.
A few teachers who hadn’t preregistered came across the tailgate and wanted to take part. They showed off their new digital CEA membership cards on their phones to prove CEA membership.
“I love this card it’s always on me and helps me get great discounts. I can pull it out anywhere, like here at the tailgate,” said Darien teacher Jay Camillo
Windsor teacher Keva Griggs was a first time CEA tailgate attendee who came out with her husband and two of her children.
“My husband is a big football fan, so when I saw the email about the tailgate, I thought it sounded like fun,” she said as her family prepared to head to the stadium for kickoff. “This tailgate is awesome. I’m definitely coming back next year.”
Ben Darnell of Fox Sports 97-9 stopped by the Tailgate to talk to CEA President Kate Dias for his podcast, Ben Darnell’s Tailgate Tour. Listen to the interview here.
