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There were billboards and handwritten letters, videos and social media posts — all with the same rallying plea of "Stayward."

But Gordon Hayward did not stay, and there's nothing left to do but reflect and move forward for the fans who went to great lengths to let the small forward know they wanted him to remain in Utah.

Classroom letters

Tooele Junior High language arts teacher Kristine Jakins' students asked her for any potential extra credit possibilities as the end of the school year approached.

Talk in her classroom centered on Hayward's future and the Utah Jazz following the team's playoff exit against the Golden State Warriors in early May, so she offered her seventh- and eighth-grade students an optional assignment to write to Hayward.

"It was a great way for them to combine all of the skills we've been learning throughout the year with argumentative writing, so it just came naturally and made sense," Jakins said.

About 20 students participated, and Jakins bundled up the letters and sent them off to the Jazz practice facility, where they were forwarded to Hayward and posted on the Instagram page of his wife, Robyn.

After Hayward announced he was heading to Boston, Jakins said she was "heartbroken" for her students, but that she'll reassure them when school starts again in the fall that there was nothing more they could do.

"It definitely would have been better if it had a happy ending and he came back to Utah, but still, the students get to see that these things that we learn in class every day are skills that they can use to make sure their voices are heard," Jakins said.

Billboards

The "Stayward" billboard campaign, which featured a prominent billboard in downtown Salt Lake City and seven more billboards along I-15 from Centerville to Murray, came down over the weekend.

The campaign originated with a crowdfunding project by Heber City Jazz fan Garrett Jones and cost more than an estimated $50,000 for designing, printing and displaying the billboards.

Adam Stoker, CEO of Relic Advertising, the company that produced the billboards, said although the campaign fell short of convincing Hayward, the groundswell of support was undeniable.

"Between the billboards and the news stories, all of the buzz that happened around 'Stayward,' Gordon shouldn't have had any question where the fans' mindset was and that everybody would like him to stay," Stoker said.

Jones is "devastated" about Hayward's choice, but a few days worth of perspective and distance from the decision has helped.

The "Stayward" concept was motivated by his interactions with and slights from Boston Celtics fans on social media disparaging Utah and its fans. Before he knew it, his idea had grown into the billboard campaign and a video montage from fans directed at Hayward.

"It really spread throughout the Jazz community, and it was fun to be the hub of all of that hope and passion and see it come together in one place," Jones said.

He takes solace in the fact that Rudy Gobert remains a focal point of the Jazz and that rookie Donovan Mitchell has shown flashes in the NBA Summer League.

There'll always be another player to root for, especially after the display of unity from "a bunch of average Joes" showing "this community is crazy for its basketball."

"I hope people don't feel like they wasted their money," Jones said. "I think it showed what awesome fans we have here in Salt Lake. We definitely did everything we could to show Gordon how much he meant to this community."

bsmith@sltrib.com

Twitter: @BrennanJSmith