Vikings and Microsoft team up to host once-in-a-lifetime field trip for ACES students

What do football players and ACES students have in common? They use math every day!

This November, 35 ACES students took the field at the Minnesota Vikings Headquarters and Practice Facility in Eagan to work on their math skills in a football-themed lesson made possible by the Vikings and Microsoft.

To kick off the field trip, Microsoft presented ACES with 35 Surface Pro tablets that played an integral role in the day’s lesson – and will be invaluable tools in our classrooms for years to come. Supplementing this incredible generosity, the NFL and the Vikings awarded a $15,000 grant that will help integrate technology into ACES’s original curriculum.

Students ran through a series of drills, including a 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jump, cone drills, and throwing accuracy. ACES Board Member and Vikings Vice President of Social Impact, Brett Taber, who was instrumental in organizing this once-in-a-lifetime field trip, even demonstrated proper punting technique from the end zone!

After each drill, students logged their results on a new Surface Pro tablet. The data collected later came in clutch for classroom lessons focused on graphing and statistical analysis.

Students were further inspired by Vikings leaders who shared about their journeys to the NFL and how their educations—especially in math—prepared them for football careers. General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Kicker Greg Joseph, and Punter Ryan Wright, all encouraged students to focus on their studies, follow their passions, and "keep the door open" for careers that require STEM skills.

“Students’ access to online resources and virtual learning is essential, and this donation of 35 Surface Pro tablets is transformational for our programming. The devices will help support a variety of learning styles, enable collaborative activities, prepare students for careers in a digital world, and more,” said ACES Executive Director, Christina Saunders. “We can’t thank Microsoft and the NFL enough for this incredible gift, and we’re proud to partner with them in our mission to close the academic opportunity gap and prepare students for success.”

Want to learn more about this collaboration? Check out the Vikings story here.