Cowboys reward 'Every Day Counts' students

North Queensland Cowboys co-captain Johnathan Thurston has rewarded almost 500 Rasmussen State School students who successfully completed the 'Every Day Counts' school attendance program with tickets to Saturday night's round 25 NRL match against Newcastle at Dairy Farmers Stadium.

The challenge, part of the Cowboys’ Learn Earn Legend! program, was launched in July and required students to attend school at least 90% of the time over 20 days without unexplained absence.

Of the 492 students at Rasmussen, a school in Townsville’s west, 482 (97.9%) completed the challenge and the very excited group received tickets to the Cowboys game from JT and teammate Robert Lui at a special assembly today.

“It was such a success, far beyond our wildest expectations,” Rasmussen support teacher Jo Tanzer said.

“It was a significant improvement on the same period last term.”

Thurston said he and his teammates were more than happy to support and promote the 'Every Day Counts' strategy which is designed to highlight the importance of being at school.

“Your school years are the most important years of your life and you have to make the most of them,” Thurston said.

“This campaign encourages kids to be at school as much as they can and it’s great that so many of them have passed the challenge and will now be our guests for the Knights game.”

Fellow Cowboys NRL and NYC squad members Robert Lui, Chris Grevsmuhl, Daniel Beasley, Javid Bowen and Samsen O’Neill participated in the Rasmussen campaign launch.

Cowboys community relations manager Fiona Pelling said the Learn Earn Legend! program, which began last year, now boasts more than 500 Indigenous year 11 and 12 students signed up from 35 North Queensland schools, from as far north as Weipa and Cairns, Townsville, south down through the Burdekin, the Whitsundays, Bowen and Mackay, and west to Charters Towers.

"The involvement of our Cowboys players exposes Indigenous students and families to role models they already admire, and allows the players to show the kids the importance of committing to their own personal success in education,’’ Ms Pelling said.

"The strategy of using sport as a platform to engage kids is one that has proved hugely successful in improving achievement outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students."