I am a former Pittsburgh Steelers star – now I've opened up my own school that has unique partnership with a zoo

FORMER NFL star Robert Golden has created a golden opportunity for underprivileged children in California by opening up his own school.

The Pittsburgh Steelers safety's tuition-free charter school in Fresno comes with a unique twist – it has a partnership with the local zoo.

The Golden Charter Academy has an environmental-focused curriculum which includes daily visits to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

There are plans for the school, which opened in August 2021, to open a $20 million state-of-the-art campus opposite the zoo in 2025.

Such has been GCA's success since it opened that there are over 300 children on a waiting list hoping to be given a place.

"We've been able to open up the first environmental stewardship zoo school in the nation," Golden tells The U.S. Sun.

"We're giving our students a unique paradigm shift of education experience."

Golden, who spent six seasons with the Steelers from 2012-2017, believes it is his "purpose" to help underserved and marginalized children in his hometown.

"Playing in the NFL was a dream come true for me," Golden says.

"There is a difference between plans and purpose. 

"I believe my plans in life were to become a professional football player. 

"But my purpose in life was to serve children that come from underserved and underrepresented areas such as myself."

Golden signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018 but he asked to be released from his contract after he lost his passion for the game.

"I asked them to release me from my contract so that I could do something that was bigger than me," he said. 

"At the time, I didn't know that I was going to open up my own school. 

"I just knew I wanted to do something to help save a lot of children's lives that grew up in communities that I grew up in."

Golden was inspired by his friend and mentor, C.J. Jones, a West Fresno advocate, to open his own school.

"C.J. told me in 2015 while I was playing for the Steelers that I was going to open up a school when I retired," he says. 

"At that time I was like, 'There is no way I'm going to set up a school. I've never been involved in education. Why would I do something like that?' 

"But fast forward when I asked the Chiefs to release me, he called me to say, 'It's time to start working on your school.'"

Golden came up with the idea of an environmental-based curriculum as a means to inspire children to love academics. 

Classes at GCA are based around the animals and plant species at the zoo.

It's typical for math questions to incorporate things like the dosages veterinarians give tigers at the zoo.

"The zoo campus serves as an extended learning laboratory for us on a daily basis," Golden says.

"At Fresno Chaffee Zoo our students not only get to learn about conservation and how to make the environment a better place but they get to work with occupations that help the zoo run, whether it's an engineer, a scientist, a veterinarian, a chef..."

Golden works full-time at GCA and he describes himself as the school's "visionary."

The school does not have an athletic focus but it launched a soccer team this year and will have a track and field team next semester.

In the future, there are plans for basketball and football teams.

There are subtle links to the Steelers, with the school's colors being black and gold.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh minority owner Larry Paul has visited GCA and even brought a Steelers helmet and Super Bowl ring to show the students.

Paul plans to make another trip to Fresno next month to see the school's progress.

"[Larry] is a huge advocate for the work I've been doing in the Fresno area," Golden says.

There are plans for GCA to expand to run from kindergarten to eighth grade in future years.

And with the school at full capacity and with a long waiting list, it can be judged a success already.

But Golden's aims are to completely transform the academic landscape in southwest Fresno.

"A lot of the students in Fresco have been underperforming for 50 years in the traditional educational school model," he says. 

"To take a bunch of children that come from these underserved and marginalized areas and give them an educational environment they thrive in...that would be success for me."