Players with the Washington Commanders visited Mount Vernon Community School, Sept. 16, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
(Left to right) Washington Commanders running back Christopher Rodriguez, Jr., wide receiver Chris Moore, MVCS Principal Jennifer Hamilton, wide receiver Jaylin Lane, Major Tuddy and ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt at Mount Vernon Community School, Sept. 16, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
(Left to right) Washington Commanders running back Christopher Rodriguez, Jr., wide receiver Chris Moore, and ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt at Mount Vernon Community School, Sept. 16, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
(Left to right) Washington Commanders running back Christopher Rodriguez, Jr., wide receiver Chris Moore and wide receiver Jaylin Lane at Mount Vernon Community School, Sept. 16, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
(Left to right) Washington Commanders wide receiver Chris Moore, Major Tuddy, wide receiver Jaylin Moore, and running back Christopher Rodriguez, Jr. at Mount Vernon Community School, Sept. 16, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
Players with the Washington Commanders visited Mount Vernon Community School, Sept. 16, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
Players with the Washington Commanders visited Mount Vernon Community School, Sept. 16, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
Mount Vernon Community School students in Alexandria got a visit on Tuesday from Washington Commanders players, who gave away $5,000 worth of food, plush footballs, hats, and notebooks.
Commanders running back Christopher Rodriguez, Jr., wide receivers Jaylin Lane and Chris Moore, and mascot Major Tuddy visited the school in collaboration with the nonprofit Blessings in a Backpack. In addition to receiving signed team merchandise, students also got bags with yogurt, pretzels, fruit cups, cereal, soup, macaroni and cheese, and tuna.
Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt thanked the Commanders for their visit. Current and former members of the team visited the school twice last school year. The event was also held in recognition of September as Hispanic Heritage Month.
“They’ve been great partners with us throughout the last couple of years,” Kay-Wyatt said. “The relationship that you have with our students and schools is important.”
Moore said that his teammates also visited to help usher in Hispanic Heritage Month.
“Growing up, I know I didn’t get to see a lot of faces of NFL players,” Moore said. “We’re really here to start kicking off celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month… We had a dance party. It was fun.”
Fourth-grader Robert Chang-Dwyer said that the players are bigger than he expected.
“It was exciting, really exciting to actually see people from the Commanders,” Chang-Dwyer said. “And yes, they are taller than they look on the football field.”
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