Pittsburgh teachers said that in 2005 they noticed an alarming
trend: Students stopped using Roethilsberger’s last name in essays and
papers, instead referring to the quarterback by his easy-to-spell
nickname, “Big Ben.” That summer, the Pittsburgh school board took
action, eliminating various art courses, American history, and Advanced
Placement calculus in favor of a rigorous new curriculum focused
squarely on getting its students back on track.Instead of taking world history, seventh-graders were enrolled in
Spelling Roethlisberger I. Geometry and trigonometry were replaced by
Advanced Roethlisberger-Memorizing. And rather than “waste time,” as
Ravenstahl said, in AP chemistry and English, juniors and seniors were
required to take an intensive Roethlisberger colloquia, in which they
would spend a three-hour class period not only discussing the spelling
of Roethlisberger, but the spelling of the names of other Steelers
players, such as strong safety Troy Polamalu and left guard Chris
Kemoeatu. —The Onion
Thanks for the suggestion, Karissa.