The 2013 International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships gold medal winner is the first of a number of US Olympic and Paralympic athletes who will take part in the campaign which is being run by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

Classroom Champions is an education-based organisation which aims to connect top-performing athletes with students in high-needs schools as defined by the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act.

The athletes then serve as mentors through videos and live chats, instructing the students on training, goal-setting and competition several times per month.

The initiative is being supported by search engine giant Google and its Giving Through Glass programme, which aims to support students and develop skills through using Google Glass that allows users to wear a smartphone-like set of glasses to use the internet and communicate.

Gillette, who is blind, is set to begin using it to communicate with his classroom and the rest of Classroom Champions schools involved in the programme in early September.

Lex Gillette soars through the air on his way to World Championship gold in Lyon last year ©Getty Images



"Quite frankly, Google Glass is affording me the opportunity to say, 'Take a look through my eyes'," said Gillette.

"Through Google Glass, my students will be able to see what I would see if I could see.

"I will be taking my students through a typical training day on the track.

"I will be showing them what it would look like to speed down a long jump runway and soar through the air.

"Or what it would look like when we're doing exchanges in relay training."

In addition to a set of Glass, Google has awarded Classroom Champions a grant of $25,000 (£15,000/€19,000) that will be used to help cover programming costs, while Gillette and President and chief executive of Classroom Champions, Steve Mesler, visited Google's offices in San Francisco and Mountain View, California, for training.

"We'll take the next few weeks to learn more about Glass and to work with the developer who is volunteering his time through another Google contest to help us make sure Glass works seamlessly for Lex and other Classroom Champions Paralympians who will utilise Glass to share their world with students around the country," Mesler, who is an Olympic champion bobsledder, said.

Google Glass allows users to wear a smartphone-like set of glasses to use the internet and communicate ©Getty Images



The Google Glass programme is set to run for six months and Mesler revealed that other athletes confirmed to take part in the campaign include Paralympic champions April Holmes, Jerome Singleton and bronze medal winning wheelchair rugby player Chuck Aoki.

"Building empathy within the students is a huge point of importance for Classroom Champions and me," Gillette added.

"Through Glass, I believe my students will gain a better understanding of my world and how I operate in it.

"I also believe that kids are so creative and their imaginations are tremendous.

"You never know, Glass may reveal to the students something that I could be doing better in training."

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