For the first time, Iowa State is taking part in National Student-Athlete Day, which honors collegiate and high school student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in their communities.

National Student-Athlete Day is Sunday.

“This is the first year Iowa State is taking part in this,” said Mirtha Vaca, graduate assistant in public relations for the Department of Athletics. She said there will be a half-page advertisement in The Des Moines Sunday Register to honor the student-athletes on campus.

“The purpose of the advertisement is to let the public know about the positive things the student-athletes are doing,” said Steve McDonnell, director of the Student Athlete Academic Services. The advertisement will list students’ names in categories such as academic achievement, athletic achievement and community outreach.

Established 10 years ago, National Student-Athlete Day was designed to acknowledge the accomplishments of student-athletes in the classroom, on the playing field and in their communities. It was also created to recognize parents, teachers, coaches and school systems who make it possible for young people to find the balance between academics and athletics.

One program student-athletes have been doing throughout the academic year is “COED TEAM,” which stands for “Cyclones On Educated Decisions; Together Everyone Achieves More.”

Student-athletes have visited elementary, junior and high schools throughout Story County, and a few in Boone County, and have spoken on how students can make healthy decisions in their lives, McDonnell said.

“About six to 10 athletes will do a skit on a particular topic, such as not to steal, not doing drugs, not cheating on tests,” McDonnell said. “Then they will get the younger students involved by asking how they would resolve a certain problem. The skit is then replayed with the suggestions from the audience. It is a good learning experience.”

Karen Mazza, a member of the ISU gymnastics team and a senior in psychology and journalism, said she likes to give back to the community, especially to the children.

“Almost every time there is a presentation, I have been involved,” she said. “We hope to get them on the healthy track they desire, due to our influence. That’s our goal.”

Sara Riemersma, a track team member and a senior in industrial engineering, said she too enjoys the presentations. Sometimes, the student-athletes had to do research for their topics, so they even learned something from the skits, she said.

“The things that we did and said during the presentations had a bigger impact on the kids than we thought they did,” Riemersma said. “We taught them that they can go further in life if they make the right decisions.”