For elementary school students moving on to middle school, listening to parents and teachers drone on about the challenges they face — academically and socially — can become repetitious to the point of being ignored.

But on Jan. 29, about 125 fifth-grade students at Independence Elementary School in Bolingbrook listened attentively while they absorbed one more message about staying focused and avoiding unproductive distractions.

Todd Howard, a Chicago Rush football player who grew up and still resides in Bolingbrook, spent 30 minutes during a special assembly talking to students about the need to stay on track as they prepare to enter middle school.

“I think he really made a connection with the students because they can really identify with him,” said Faith Dahlquist, principal at Independence. “He was very engaging, much more so than if it was an older adult wearing a suit and tie trying to tell them what to do.”

“For a few days after the assembly the kids were still talking about Todd. ...There still is a buzz about the assembly,” Dahlquist said. “That is a good sign.”

Howard, wearing his No. 12 Rush jersey and blue jeans, kept the message simple: Stay focused in school, and don’t get distracted.

“You are at an age where there is so much opportunity before you, opportunities that I no longer have at my age, opportunities that your teachers and parents don’t (have),”

Howard said as he walked among the seated students.

“You can go on to do anything you want to, so don’t let anyone or anything distract you from your goals and dreams. Decisions you make now can have an impact on what you do down the road. Start now,” Howard said.

The visit was arranged to support fifth-grade students about to enter middle school and make the sometimes-difficult academic and social transition, Dahlquist said.

“They soon will be expected to make more and more decisions for themselves,” Dahlquist said.

“Mom and Dad aren’t there to make those decisions for them, and their new peers can have a great influence on them and the decisions they make,” she said.

Maintaining good study, sleep and eating habits are keys to success, said Howard, but the most important thing a teen can do is to continue to rely on the people with the most experience: parents and teachers.

“Parents and teachers are there for you because they care about you and love you. They aren’t asking questions just to mess with you. ... They really want you to succeed and will do anything to help you,” Howard said.

Following the assembly, William Crubaugh, fifth-grade student at Independence and a Romeoville resident, said the discussion “makes me trust my teachers more.”

“He impressed me. He is a football player, and I play football, too,” William said.
Howard was an all-state prep football player at Bolingbrook High School in the late 1990s, and went on to start three years at cornerback for the University of Michigan Wolverines.

After spending two seasons on the St. Louis Rams practice squad and playing in NFL Europe, Howard signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Rush, which last season won its first Arena Football League championship.

He was a three-sport star in high school who said the person who had the most influence on him throughout his development was his mother.

“My mother was dedicated and always prepared. She works as a teacher in Chicago and every day when I was growing up she woke up at 6 a.m. to get prepared to go teach. At night I would watch her do lesson plans for the next day to keep the class fresh and make it interesting for her students. I saw that dedication every day.”

During his prep, college and professional career Howard said he has played and practiced with some of football’s best players and coaches, including St. Louis Rams stars like Isaac Bruce and Marshall Faulk.

But many of Howard’s childhood friends who did not make it to high-profile careers served as a constant reminder of the dangers of making poor decisions at a formative age, Howard told the students.

“Some of my friends along the way allowed themselves to become distracted from what is really important and lost their focus, and some have passed away already, even though they were young. Just remember that some of the decisions you make even at this time in your life can make a big difference in your life,” Howard said.

Becoming more independent and making decisions “can be scary,” Howard said.

“When I first went away to college I admit I didn’t know what to expect and I was nervous about it. It was the first time I was going to be away from home,” he said.
“Believe me, being a little nervous is OK. It can be a good thing as long as you approach it in the right way,” Howard said.