Raiders QB crashes school assembly with Super Bowl surprise for Henderson teacher
Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell made a special delivery last week, handing off a pair of Super Bowl tickets to a deserving Las Vegas Valley educator.
O’Connell crashed a student council assembly Thursday in the gymnasium of SLAM! Nevada in Henderson, tossing Raiders hats and T-shirts to students in attendance as Nayda Peace addressed the crowd.
Caught off guard at first, Peace soon realized that the man who interrupted her update on the student council wasn’t some rude student but a budding NFL star.
The Raiders quarterback was joined by a film crew who documented the moment, which will air at 1 p.m. Monday on CBS’ “The Talk.”
Peace, originally from San Francisco, was homeless while she was in high school and went on to be her school’s valedictorian. She attended University of California, Davis, and began teaching in 2019 at Chaparral High School. She now teaches 9th grade English at Slam!, a public charter school that focuses on sports leadership and management career development.
“Coming from being homeless to what she is doing now is so incredible,” O’Connell said. “We work really hard to play football, but at the end of the day there’s things that are more important than that. So when you see someone who is giving back and spending time doing the things that she’s doing is really inspirational to me. A lot of what she does is often behind the scenes and not really seen by a lot of people. So for her to have this moment is pretty cool.”
Peace’s friend and fellow teacher Monica Elenes nominated her for the award, knowing her inspiring life story and the positive impact that she has on the children she teaches.
“I thought I was just a teacher doing what I’m naturally good at, because this is just what I do,” Peace said. “But I do get stories from students that tell me how much I’ve inspired them. So I hear it a lot.”
Peace plans to take her brother DeMarco with her to to the big game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs, taking place Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium.
Building a memory of attending a Super Bowl and the way the news was delivered to her is the most important that O’Connell hopes Peace takes away from the experience.
“We always want something that we’re working toward and I think a lot of times work can get mundane, based on what you do,” O’Connell said. “I’m hoping it can be a fun experience for her at the game.”
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.