JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – March’s Positively JAX award winner is all about serving others. As an elementary school teacher, he does that all the time, but he’s also found a way to motivate students and his entire school to rock out for a good cause.
It’s music to the ears and hearts of hungry families in North Florida. The lead singer is Jared Tintle, who’s known as Mr. T. He’s also a first through third grade teacher at J Allen Axson Montessori school. Mr. T had the idea for his classroom community to perform a day in the life of a student through classic rock songs.
“There’s going to be a purpose behind it. And the purpose was to raise money. So, we reached out to different nonprofits in Jacksonville,” Tintle said.
They landed on helping a nonprofit called Hunger Fight: https://hungerfight.org/. The organization packs and distributes food through its Feed the Backpacks program. It sends elementary-aged children on the federal free and reduced meal plan home with food for the weekend.
Tintle staged a concert that raised 30,000 meals for food-insecure families.
“Knowing those foods, those meals, we’re going out to kids and families in Jacksonville. There’s a certain level of satisfaction that I never could have imagined. And I think these kids understand that as well,” Tintle said.
In the cafeteria of J Allen Axson Elementary School they pulled off an epic concert. They raised money and packed food in the back, learning an incredible lesson that could have never been taught in a classroom alone.
“It’s as a result of all these incredible students around me, as well as former students I’ve had, that we continue to challenge each other, and to look beyond the four walls of my classroom,” Tintle said.
Mr. T and the A-Team Band, you are all Positively JAX.