Gator fan flips over gridiron role
Michael Cizek, a 2014 grad of Cascade High School in Everett, was named by the University of Florida as its honorary Mr. Two Bits in a coveted gridiron tradition.
The finance major stepped onto the football field during a Sept. 12 home game against East Carolina University, decked out in the Mr. Two Bits look (seersucker pants, yellow button-down shirt and orange-and-blue striped tie) to lead the famous UF cheer: “Two-bits, four-bits, six-bits, a dollar. All for the Gators, stand up and holler!”
Cizek, 19, moved with his family to Everett from Jupiter, Florida, when he was a boy. But his support for the Gators stuck. He’s now a sophomore at the Gainesville university.
“Every time I set foot on that field it’s a meaningful experience for me,” Cizek was quoted as saying in a GatorZone.com story. Cizek’s grandfather, John Hayes (class of 1963), was honored by the College of Journalism as an Alumni of Distinction in 1998 following his career in broadcast news. “Whether it’s a game day or just movie night at The Swamp, it’s never a small team. It’s a privilege to walk on that treasured grass.”
This is the second year the University Athletic Association has opened the Mr. Two Bits tradition to students. The real Mr. Two Bits was George Edmondson Jr., a UF fan who started and led the cheer for several decades before retiring in 2008. Students now take part.
Cizek was the first student chosen by a Gator Nation vote. He was one of two students to submit a video bid.
Watch video of Cizek’s Two Bits debut at www.gatorvision.tv/watch/?Archive=2908.
Employee donations benefit STEM in schools
Skanska USA employees at a Boeing construction work site wanted to give back to the community. They decided to gather donations from fellow employees and chose the Everett Public Schools Foundation to be the recipient. Their donation of more than $1,000 will kickstart the foundation’s Innovators in the Classroom project this year. Funds will be used for school-based science, technology, engineering and math projects in the Everett School District.
Learn more at www.epsfoundation.org or e-mail Kristie Dutton at kdutton@everettsd.org.
To submit items for School Winners, email newstips@heraldnet.com.
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