Faculty Stun Students at Annual Basketball Game for Charity
On Monday morning, the hallways and locker areas of the MKA Middle School were buzzing with disbelief – and not because of the outcome of the Superbowl. Against all expectations, the Middle School faculty had snatched victory from the students in a hard fought game on Friday night, and reclaimed the cup for the first time in many years at the annual Faculty vs. Student Basketball for Charity.
Organized by Student Government, and described by them as “The biggest event of the year!” this year’s game benefitted Partners in Health work in Haiti and, together with a coin drive and game T-shirt sales, raised over $10,000 for the organization. Faculty advisor Laura Lemaire explains: “What makes this so special is the fact that so many people come together to make this event a success. All the faculty who play, the chaperones, the student government reps, the Parents’ Association and all the parents and students who show up to support the evening. I am extremely proud to be part of this school and touched by all that everyone does!”
Middle School Boys’ Basketball Head Coach Kyle Chapman posted his own comments on the faculty victory, “Coming into Friday night’s game, you could feel tension. The students wanted another victory, but the faculty wasn’t going to go down easily. As the game wore on it became evident that the faculty was going to get their first win in years, and I looked around the gym. I saw faulty members embracing and high-fiving. I saw the faces of the students began to drop as thoughts of a dress down day disappeared. But most importantly, I saw a gym full of people. I saw a community of people that came together to share their time, energy and money for a great cause.”
In addition to the honor and the trophy, the winning team has traditionally been given a dress down day, and this year will be no different, as Head of Campus Randy Kleinman announced “To celebrate bringing the basketball trophy back to where it belongs, the faculty will enjoy a dress down day on Thursday.”
Meanwhile, continuing in the school’s efforts to support Haiti, MKA’s youngest students are hard at work making Valentine’s Cards that will be available for purchase at a tri-campus “Pour L’Haiti” concert organized by Upper School students for the evening of Thursday, February 11.
MKA has their own page on the Partners in Health website and all members of the MKA community may make donations to assist the charity’s work at http://act.pih.org/page/outreach/view/earthquake_group/MKA