What’s the best way to impress upon middle school kids the importance of doing well in school, in order to secure their future? One good way to do that might include a little razzle dazzle, a little showtime, and that’s what took place at Lucy Addison Middle School last Friday when the Philadelphia 76ers mascot “Hip-Hop” showed up for an appearance, along with an entourage from the NBA team that played an exhibition game here Tuesday night against the New Jersey Nets.
Hip-Hop – a rabbit wearing a basketball uniform – and his sidekick Hare-Raising Twist worked the young crowd into a late afternoon frenzy during an assembly where tickets to Tuesday’s basketball game at the Roanoke Civic Center and slots at last Sunday’s youth basketball clinic were also given away.
Beforehand a product of Roanoke City schools (Ruffner Middle, Fleming) who now works for the Philadelphia 76ers as the community relations director, Amber Stewart, talked about the importance of school. So did Robert Johnson, the Addison principal, in talking about her.
“Look at how far you can go when you put your education first,” said Johnson. Stewart spent a year in the front office with the now-defunct Roanoke Dazzle minor league basketball team before beginning a journey that has now landed her in the National Basketball Association.
Stewart, a former cheerleader at William Fleming who does this type of thing quite often in promoting the 76ers, told students that “you don’t have to work on the court [as a player],” in order to be employed by a sports team. Even those who like video games could land a job putting together game day entertainment – with the right schooling of course. “Get your education – take what you like to do, learn to excel in it, make it your thing,” said Stewart. “Find something that you’re good at.”
She also urged one young man pulled out of the crowd that wanted to be a basketball player to “find a plan B,” in case that didn’t work out. That was part of her message to the entire assembly as well. “You can do whatever you put your mind to,” noted Stewart. (The Sixers entourage also appeared at William Fleming High School Tuesday morning before the game that night.)
Then Hip-Hop appeared, raising the noise level at Addison considerably, shooting confetti into the crowd and throwing Sixers t-shirts into the stands. For comic relief, Hip-Hop convinced Johnson to do a dance at mid-court, and to kneel down with him on the floor while Hare-Raising Twist performed a back flip over them, to the delight of Addison students and faculty members – several of whom were also pulled out on to the floor by Hip-Hop to shoot baskets and dance.
Along with promoting Tuesday’s game, the activities all supported the message of the day: get your education and make the most of it.
By Gene Marrano [email protected]