School Specialty Celebrates 100th Makeover Reveal in Partnership with CFP Foundation
All Miami-Dade Middle Schools will receive an upgrade by the end of the school year
The College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation and School Specialty announced the completion of a makeover of North Dade Middle School’s media center, which marks the 100th learning space transformed in collaboration with the Extra Yard Makeover initiative. As a part of their joint nationwide effort to enhance learning environments for students and educators alike, the two organizations have now invested more than $5 million into reinvigorating classrooms across the country.
This year’s host city is Miami, where the CFP National Championship will take place in January. Together, the CFP Foundation and School Specialty will back over 30 Extra Yard Makeovers, refurbishing innovation spaces across schools in Miami, Broward and Palm Beach counties. With this latest round of makeovers, the CFP Foundation will have helped enrich learning environments in every middle school in the Miami-Dade district.
"Changing our middle school libraries into modern learning spaces has had a tremendous impact on engagement and learning outcomes,” said Dr. Jose L. Dotres, Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. “In addition to renovation, the transformation is an investment in our teachers, our students, and our future. These new innovative spaces support hands-on learning for students of today and tomorrow, so they can develop greater curiosity for learning and lifelong skills."
These makeovers transform static spaces into flourishing learning environments by providing upgrades such as flexible furniture, improved technology, an inventory of supplies—sometimes even fresh paint or murals. Each school receives the School Specialty proprietary “Projects by Design” experience, which includes comprehensive consultations to determine the type of space that best supports students, educators and the broader school community. Past Extra Yard makeovers have included an esports room, a mariachi room, STEM labs, broadcast classrooms, libraries, media centers, teachers' lounges/wellness spaces, sensory rooms, and multipurpose rooms.
“The transformation of our media center is truly invaluable to our students and staff, said Nicole Fama, executive director of Phalen Leadership Academies, which received a makeover in 2024. “We are profoundly grateful to the College Football Playoff Foundation and School Specialty for this investment. Before the media center, we lacked a space that truly fostered community. Now, everything happens here—from senior breakfasts and college athlete signing days to family game nights and teacher appreciation events. It has become the heart of our community, a space we didn’t realize we needed until it was here.”
These makeovers serve to benefit both students and teachers, enabling schools to improve their offerings, inspire innovation and modern learning, and directly address some of the top issues in education today.
“Addressing teacher burnout and maximizing student engagement starts with the physical environment,” said Jeremy Westbrooks, Director of Strategic Account Development at School Specialty. “The physical classroom is an educator's primary tool, and by modernizing these spaces, the CFP Foundation and School Specialty are delivering a critical resource that empowers teachers to stay focused on their students' growth and long-term success.”
“We’re proud to work alongside School Specialty to bring these meaningful makeover projects to life,” said Britton Banowsky, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff Foundation. “Their expertise in the design of the spaces and incredible generosity make it possible for us to turn vision into impact for teachers and students.”
Since launching the Extra Yard Makeover program, the CFP Foundation and School Specialty have been joined in the program by the host committees hosting each national championship game, as well as bowl games, FBS conferences and sponsors. To date, Extra Yard Makeovers have taken place in 18 states across 58 counties.