A program that encourages students in grades one through eight to make their school’s honor roll each quarter kicked off Tuesday in Middletown.

Domata Peko, a defensive tackle with the Cincinnati Bengals, helped motivate Middletown Middle School students during an assembly to introduce the Marvin Lewis Foundation’s “Learning is Cool” program.

The program, which is in its first year in the Middletown City School District, challenges students to make their school’s “A” Honor Roll each quarter. Students who make the honor roll twice during the school year are rewarded with an end-of-year banquet with Bengals players at Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

The Marvin Lewis Community Fund also runs the program with Cincinnati Public Schools, Covington Independent Public Schools and North College Hill City Schools.

The number of honor roll students in the Cincinnati Public School District has increased 110 percent since the program first began in 2008, according to the Marvin Lewis Community Fund website.

Peko and Middletown businessman Steven Hightower, Chief Executive Officer of Hightowers Petroleum, spoke to Middletown students at the assembly, encouraging them to do their best. Hightower’s efforts through the Marvin Lewis Foundation were instrumental in getting the Learning is Cool program to Middletown.

Middletown Middle School principal Michael Valenti said he was encouraged by the way the students responded to Peko’s visit.

“Any time you can get that message home to the kids, you’ll get a positive from it,” Valenti said. “We appreciate the district for getting us into the program, and we appreciate the Marvin Lewis Foundation for selecting our school.”

“It’s amazing to be able to come in here and just plant a seed in young kids’ lives,” Peko said. “If they have goals and if they have dreams, education is one of the keys to get you to where you want to be.”

District superintendent Greg Rasmussen said he was encouraged to see the students so motivated by Peko’s and Hightower’s comments.

“It helps to drive home the message that learning, even beyond school, is important to one’s success in life,” he said. “That message is so critical to help motivate kids.”

“We are extremely pleased to be a part of the Learning is Cool program,” Rasmussen said. “Thanks to the efforts of the Marvin Lewis Foundation and the efforts of Steven Hightower and several other community leaders, we have another another motivational tool that we can use to encourage these students.”

“I’m just proud to be able to give back and to be a part of this,” Peko said.