Glen Ridge High School junior Jackson Goldberg with Discovery Coordinator volunteer Francesca Djerejian.
GLEN RIDGE — As flag football continues to grow in popularity across the country, Glen Ridge High School junior Jackson Goldberg has created one of the Forest Avenue School Discovery Program’s most popular classes. His youth flag football class sold out both times it was offered.
Rather than offering football instruction alone, Goldberg incorporated a leadership curriculum into the class, using the sport to teach teamwork, confidence and sportsmanship to children in prekindergarten through second grade.
“I’ve always looked up to the coaches who encouraged me when I was younger,” Goldberg said. “Now I get the chance to do that for kids in my own community. I hope they leave every session having fun, feeling more confident and learning something they can use outside of football.”
Mara Glick, co-chair of the Discovery Committee and a Forest Avenue Home and School Association board member, said Goldberg’s work made a lasting impression on students.
“The Forest Avenue Discovery Program was incredibly fortunate to have Jackson Goldberg trail blaze our flag football program. Each week, he arrived prepared to engage children ages 4 through 8, helping them develop gross motor skills, football fundamentals and teamwork in a fun and encouraging environment. Leading a dozen young children is no easy task, yet Jackson consistently demonstrated patience, enthusiasm and exceptional leadership. His dedication, creativity and commitment made a lasting impact on our students, and we will always be grateful for the time, energy and leadership he brought to our school community.”
The Forest Avenue School Discovery Program offers a variety of after-school enrichment opportunities for elementary school students.
Goldberg will be a senior this fall and plays for the Glen Ridge High School varsity football. He is also the creator of the football Instagram account @jacksontalkjets, where he shares football news, commentary and highlights.
Photo Courtesy of Lauren Jackson
Note: This article was written by Carey Reilly (Special to the Glen Ridge Paper and EsssexNewsDaily.com).
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