When Arlington ISD superintendent Marcelo Cavazos introduced the Dallas Cowboys at a Workman Junior High School assembly on Monday, he described the players as the "best rookie class ever."
Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott and other Cowboys rookies were at the school to promote United Way's "Character Playbook."
The program is a new, online course focused on helping students develop character and engage in healthy relationships.
The interactive program will serve thousands of middle school students each year and will be implemented directly in schools throughout the North Texas region, a Cowboys spokesperson said.
The Gene and Jerry Jones Family Foundation presented both Arlington ISD and Frisco ISD with grants of $2,500 each to fund character education programming in their districts.
"Get that confidence now in middle school, so when you get into high school, you can start having success and feel good about yourself," Prescott told students. "When it comes to adversity, I always stay positive and optimistic. Just look at the way it worked out last night. That's how it works out in life, so stay positive and keep looking forward."
