Dolphins Pitch In To Make Over Hialeah School
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The Miami Dolphins are using the off-season to give back to the community.
Instead of working out at the training facility Wednesday, players and coaches did some heavy lifting at Mar M. Walters Elementary School in Hialeah to help beautify the campus.
"Anytime you get to come back and give back to the community that supports us day in and day out, it's a good thing," Dolphins' center Mike Pouncey said.
"It's great just to be involved in an experience like this. To be able to do it together, it gives a good feeling to the team as the whole and each individual guy," said quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Even Coach Joe Philbin got his hands dirty.
"Since the inception of the Miami Dolphins organization, being a part of the community and making a positive impact on other people has been a huge tradition," Philbin told reporters.
Players planted trees and painted walls at the school on West 33rd Street and 6th Avenue. And just like in football, strength and accuracy were key.
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"My assignment today is to make these walls as white as possible, and it feels like a shoulder workout," Pouncey said. "I don't know if that counts as a workout, but if feels like one."
Mae M. Walters elementary was built in 1955 and the signs of decades worth of wear and tear are everywhere.
Principal Milko Brito says the makeover will go a long way in improving the overall academic experience.
"Hopefully this is going to get our students motivated and have more love for their school," Brito said
The principal says additional plumbing and electrical updates will be completed over the summer.
The school may be the home of the Eagles, but the Dolphins fit right in.
"We love our community and we love to be able to give back, help a school that I think really needed it at this time," Tannehill said.
The students weren't there for the remodeling project because summer vacation is officially underway, but they'll be in for a big surprise come August.