5x Paralympic medalist Lex Gillette joins Classroom Champions’ Board of Directors
Long-time athlete mentor and philanthropist Lex Gillette eager to serve on Classroom Champions’ Board of Directors to help impact the lives of students across the world.
It all started with a vision. Lex Gillette, a blind Paralympian, wanted to help kids understand a perspective outside of their own. Lex partnered with Google and Classroom Champions to help kids in classrooms across the country to experience his point of view while he trains and competes.
From there, Lex’s partnership with Classroom Champions has taken on a life of its own.
As Lex was elected by the Board of Directors for his first position, he will focus on strategic plans and partnerships to empower more athletes, especially those with disabilities, to be mentors for schools across the continent, bringing a vision of Classroom Champions to life for schools serving students with visual impairments, and working with the staff to raise funds for schools and districts.
“I’m excited to work with Steve (Mesler, the founder and CEO) to meet our goal to Mentor 1 Million Kids with the athlete mindset by 2025. The power I see in my Paralympian family to deliver high-quality mentorship through Classroom Champions is endless. I’m here to help the organization think bigger, be bigger, and find new ways to reach kids who have the challenges and opportunities I had when I was their age,” said Lex.
“Lex brings so much more than his perspective as someone with a disability. I’ve never met someone who can think so clearly and compassionately about the human experience,” said Steve Mesler, co-founder of Classroom Champions and Olympic gold medalist. “We are incredibly honored that Lex will bring his energy and talents to help Classroom Champions through this monumental time in education. Schools need supports for mental health, student and teacher engagement, and student achievement like never before — and through Lex’s time with Classroom Champions as an athlete mentor, he was an expert promoting all three of those areas.”
Lex started as an athlete mentor, bringing his real life journey and experiences to kids throughout a school year. He was able to forge real and unforgettable relationships with students that stand the test of time. Here’s a message from Reagan, a former student at Oak Grove Elementary School. Her experience with Lex as her mentor has guided and shaped the way she perseveres today (and even her track and field goals!) Reagan is currently a 7th grader at McLoughlin Middle School in Medford, OR.
When asked about his 3 most memorable moments as a mentor, he said:
My visit to Seamore, IN with Jennifer Regruth
“A time I’ll never forget. I hopped out of the firetruck that they escorted me to the school in, once out of the truck, they allowed me the opportunity to be hoisted up on the ladder, then had the entire day to hang out and talk about the things we had learned about throughout the year…”
To Jennifer’s students, Lex became an inspiration for change and a reason to give it their all. He brought so much more than mentorship; he brought kids the skills they need to achieve their own big goals in life. Check out this video from his day with Jennifer Regruth’s class in Indiana.
4th grade teacher Jennifer Regruth also remembers that day, and the years she spent with Lex as her classroom’s mentor, clearly and fondly.
One of Jennifer’s students from 2015 even came back to write a note for Lex:
A message for Lex from Faithe Petty, a student from Seymour, Indiana
Back in 2015 I was a part of the Classroom Champions program. By some miracle it was announced to us that Lex Gillette would be our mentor for the year! Something that I found so unique about the program and Lex himself was how they were able to personally connect to the children in the classroom. Throughout the year, Lex would send us videos with inspiring messages and overall valuable life lessons. Some of the most memorable lessons that I hold close to my heart even today is the importance of goals and perseverance. Lex’s personal story taught me that’s there’s really no limit to the human experience. Life’s biggest challenges cannot stand in the way of somebody who carries hope and determination. In a sense, Lex truly showed me that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. One of the most magical moments of my life was getting the opportunity to have Lex come to our school. Lex was such an influential part of my childhood development, and to be able to stand next to him and talk to him in person was just absolutely amazing. I will never forget whenever he was reading the papers we wrote to him in Braille and as soon as he read the first sentence of my paper, he knew it was me. To be able to be recognized by my biggest idol was absolutely groundbreaking to me. Lex just had this warmth to him that I’ll never forget. He made every child in that class feel so valuable and special. That whole year was such a wonderful time in my life. I’m truly so grateful for Mrs. Regruth allowing us to participate in such an amazing program. You could tell that she was just as excited as us every step of the way. She truly brought so much fun and laughter into the classroom, and made it such a special year for all of us.
-Faithe Petty
Being connected with Ella Maya’s class in Arizona.
“The kids instead of sending videos, created podcasts so I could listen. Shows us the power of our youth.”
6th grade teacher Ella Maya also had a message for Lex.
Visiting Cindy Martinez’s class in Camden, NJ
“We got the chance to hang out for the entire day. That day was unique because a lot of her students were special ed, so there was a unique bond in the sense that, like myself, there’s a circumstance we’ve been tackling in our lives. So to be there with them and spend time with them and share my experiences and for us to really be in this space where we were just being ourselves, that was really amazing. That vulnerability and transparency was on a high level on display.”
Lex and the future of Classroom Champions
When asked what he’s most excited to take on as a member of the Board, Lex had a few good answers.
“There’s a lot of kids out there who are living life with a disability, and I remember when I was a young child and getting guidance and advice from others, it helped to pave the way for me moving forward. I want to make our programs more available to those with disabilities to make sure we’re equipping them with the confidence and help them to establish a stronger footing. Do what we can to elevate them as well,” said Lex.
How does your experience as a Paralympian lend to your perspective within the board?
“There are just certain things you don’t know, because you haven’t been exposed to it. That perspective is going to be huge. Things like suggested language around our behavior, how we act around people who have a disability. We want this space to be a place where anyone can step inside and contribute… so being that sounding board and being that voice for anyone with a disability is important to me in this role. Being a Paralympian I have had MANY conversations with those with a wide range of disabilities. Speaking beyond that, as a human being, being able to provide additional perspective,” said Lex.
More about Lex
Lex is the best totally blind long and triple jumper in the history of the U.S. Paralympic movement. He is the current world record holder in the long jump, a five-time Paralympic medalist, a four-time long jump world champion, and an 18-time national champion. He is the only totally blind athlete to ever eclipse the 22-foot barrier in the long jump.
At the age of 19, Lex won his first Paralympic silver medal in the long jump. His achievements at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Greece were the culmination of years of hard work and training. Since that time, Lex has solidified himself as a tenacious competitor for Team USA. Each of his athletic performances since that time have resulted in medals with the most recent being silver in the long jump at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.
Lex now has not only competed in but medaled in five consecutive Paralympic Games and he’s looking for more. Ultimately, there is one goal, and that is to win gold for the United States of America. As an athlete, motivational speaker, and singer-songwriter, Lex epitomizes the phrase “No Need for Sight When You Have a Vision®”.
Other Associations
Future Insight: Elevating the lives with those with a visual disability through edu services and independent living skills and training.
Lex is part of Team Panasonic, a diverse group of world-class athletes that share Panasonic’s passion for excellence and making the world a better place. Together, their social purpose is to empower the next generation to achieve their dreams through sports, education and healthy living.
Lex has joined Team Intel as an ambassador for the Tokyo Paralympic Games. As an ambassador, he was a participating athlete for Athlete 365, the IOC’s official athlete support program, and provides feedback on how Intel’s technology can support athletes and the sport ecosystem. Intel values the contribution from the athlete community and understands the unique perspective they bring when it comes to developing technology. From his work in Athlete 365, he became an employee of Intel, working in the Olympic/Paralympic office helping to support a lot of the Paralympic Games initiatives around technology. He is helping to improve accessibility overall by leveraging tech to bridge gaps that exist for the world’s population that is living with a disability.
Sight School: Teaching people to see their potential, focusing on those who are blind or visually impaired. — just adding a bit of color here. “Sight School is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization that is elevating the lives of those who are blind and visually impaired. Through Sight School, participants have access to important educational resources, engagement in employment initiatives, and access to athletic opportunities. The organizations ultimate goal is to, teach the blind and visually impaired to see their potential.
Lex is an athlete spokesperson for The Hartford, a founding partner of the U.S. Paralympics and at the forefront for helping athletes with disabilities. Lex has appeared at events on behalf of The Hartford, including as an athlete panelist at national corporate events. The Hartford is a Founding Partner and Official Disability Insurance Sponsor of U.S. Paralympics.
Lex is a proud member of Team U.S.A. He has medaled in five consecutive Paralympic Games. As he continues to strive for excellence, he is always aware that there is one goal…to win gold for the United States of America.
