photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph

Griffin Elementary School fourth grader Shakyra Jackson sends golf balls down a ramp into the base of the golf ball pyramid Friday that children from the school built with help from  The First Tee of Greater Tyler. Students from Griffin Elementary helped construct the world's largest golf ball pyramid using over 16,000 golf balls donated by residents from Hide-a-Way Lake.  Cal Shipman, a retired resident of Hide-a-Way Lake helped coordinate the efforts to build the 62 inch tall pyramid.  &quot;I wanted to do something special &amp; fun for the children of Tyler in bringing the Guinness Book of World Records and its meaning to an area school campus&quot;, states Mr. Shipman.  Griffin Elementary School and Tyler Independent School District were a huge part in reaching over 9,000 students in in 2013 through The First Tee National School Program. The relationship between character education and academic success is incredibly important, as high-quality character education leads to scholastic achievement.  The learning environment is optimal when children are involved in an activity-based setting and when the character education exists side-by-side with the academic program.  The First Tee National School Program combines these principles in its curriculum that integrates golf skills and motor skill development with character education. For more information on The First Tee of Greater Tyler and The First Tee National School Program please contact Christian Sarran:  csarran@thefirstteegreatertyler.org or by phone at 903-806-2809.