SANTA CRUZ COUNTY — With help from the Santa Cruz Warriors and the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership’s MBEP Scholars Program, Santa Cruz County schools have received $986,500 in additional district funding since 2016, the organizations announced recently.
This increased state funding to local school districts is a result of improved school attendance over the last two years, which the MBEP Scholars Program aims to incentivize through Santa Cruz Warriors game tickets for local students and their families.
The MBEP Scholars ticket incentive program, which will continue for the third consecutive school year as the Warriors tip-off the 2018-19 NBA G League season, will reward Live Oak, Pajaro, Aptos, Soquel and Watsonville students who display excellence or improvement in their attendance with tickets to Santa Cruz Warriors home games this season.
“The Santa Cruz Warriors are thrilled to continue the MBEP Scholars program for the third consecutive season to incentivize local students and families to focus on maintaining exemplary school attendance,” said Warriors President Chris Murphy. “We want to support local teachers and school administrators in their efforts to keep classrooms full and to support our local youth in their academic goals.”
Fourteen participating schools from Live Oak School District, Pajaro Valley Unified School District and Soquel Union Elementary School District will each select students for every Santa Cruz Warriors home game to attend with a guardian. The MBEP Scholars Student Section will also be recognized on the Kaiser Permanente Arena videoboard at every home game this season.
“The MBEP Scholars Program highlights for students that striving for strong personal school attendance is a positive and attainable goal that is recognized and rewarded in our community,” said Monterey Bay Economic Partnership Co-Chairman Bud Colligan. “We’re excited to once again partner with schools to reinforce their messages to students that achieving their highest potential starts by showing up every day.”
For information on the Santa Cruz Warriors 2018-19 season, visit santacruzbasketball.com or call 713-4400.
