The air feels electric as students and faculty wait in anticipation as second period at Texas High School begins. Yolanda George shuts her classroom door, locking out any of her new freshman students to be counted tardy.
Smiles and laughter come from representatives of the football team, HighSteppers, cheerleaders, student leadership and faculty as they walk down the back hallway on the second floor of the Texas High Math & Science Building on Sept. 10, 2025. Astin Greer, head of teacher recognition within the athletic department, leads the students into George’s classroom to surprise her with the 2025 College Football Playoff (CFP) Extra Yard Award.
George’s face lit up with excitement as she received her award and thank-you basket from the administrators and students. Greer took charge to ensure George received recognition for all of the work she put in at Texas High.
“We try to give it to a teacher that has been here and has an impact on this campus,” Greer said. “Ms. George was nominated for this because she’s very disciplined in her approach to education, and I think that comes from her military background.”
A native of Pittsburg, Texas, George served in the Air Force prior to becoming an educator at Texas High School.
“She’s an East Texas girl at heart,” Greer said. “She understands the importance of high school football, but she also understands the importance of education [and] holds the kids to a very high standard.”
The CFP Extra Yard Award proves to be a prestigious honor that the school only gives to one teacher per year. Because of this, the recipient of this award must be chosen carefully. George’s dedication and spirit of a tiger sets her apart from the crowd.
“I am a tiger by choice,” George said. “When I moved here, I chose to be a tiger. I chose to teach tigers, and I love it so much.”
However, George isn’t just a teacher; she is also actively learning. While she teaches her students about science, her students teach her about themselves.
“I want my kids to not only be successful in my classroom [but also] successful in all their academics and endeavors in life,” George said. “I learn a lot from them. Even though I am hard on them, they live up to that standard, and that encourages me to live up to that standard.”
While George accepted her award and received recognition for her dedication to Texas High School, the students still proved to be her main priority. Amidst the crowd, George could be seen welcoming her old students and thanking them for their support.
“She was strict, but that was a good thing. She cared about the students, and she cared about their way of being,” senior varsity football player Blake Banks said. “When she remembered me and told me she was watching me, that meant something to me.”
