Reed Teachers And Students Take It To The Court

By Eliza Hallabeck

Sixth grade students went against their teachers on the court in the gymnasium at Reed Intermediate School Wednesday, February 4, for a Teachers Vs Students basketball game.

Prior to the game, students voted in their classrooms for the students they wanted to represent them on the court during the game. Brenna Kelly, one of the students who played against the teachers in the game, said she has been playing basketball in town, so she added her name to the list.

The 45 students participating in the game were separated into four groups of rotating players. The teachers had 12 participants, and rotated playing in two groups. The students wore colors to display which team they were rotating with; red, yellow, green, or blue.

At intermission the teachers had a score of 29, and the students had scored 31 points.

During intermission the crowd of students and the players were led to the cafeteria where snacks and drinks were on sale. All of the proceeds for the game go back to the school, according to sixth grade teacher Matthew Brown. Tickets for the game cost each member of the crowd $12, each student player $3 and the teachers played for free.

Mr Brown announced the game, and had witty names for the teachers playing, like “Mr Slama-Jama-Stentiford” for sixth grade teacher Todd Stentiford, and “Weak-in-the-knees Wilkinson” for fifth grade teacher Gary Wilkinson.

The students were coached by physical education teacher Mark Gerace and sixth grade teacher Richard Neeb.

Overwhelmingly when asked, a group of sixth grade students watching the game said they were rooting for the students, not for the teachers.

Each time a student or teacher scored, the crowd of sixth grade students reacted loudly, but also controlled. As the game neared the end students in the crowd began to stamp their feet while cheering for each score made by the students on the court.

With four minutes left to the game, the students had 61 points and the staff had 63.

Sixth grade students Connor Roche and Robbie McCabe sat on the sideline of the court watching the game intently while updating the electronic score board from a table set up for them.

“I think the students will win,” said Connor, who played in the teacher versus the fifth grade students game last year as a fifth grader.

Connor said four of his friends were playing in the game this year.

Robbie said he did the score board for the fifth grade game last year, and both boys said they asked Mr Gerace if they could do the score board this year.

“He said we could,” said Connor.

By the end of the game parents were lining the walls near the gym’s entrance, and watching the game. Some yelled out to their students playing on the court. On the following Wednesday, February 11, fifth grade students and teachers participated in the same type of game.

When the score board ran out of time, the students had won with 73 points to the teacher’s 67 points.