PENN BASKETBALL PLAYERS, COACHES ENCOURAGE HALLOWELL STUDENTS TO SEEK EXCELLENCE IN ACADEMICS, ATHLETICS, LIFE

HORSHAM – Hallowell Elementary students learned Wednesday that they share many goals with some much older students: members of the University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team.

“They eat their vegetables and fruits, too!” said second grader Allison Gurt, who favors carrots. “I learned that they train lots and spend lots of time to be a good basketball player,” said her classmate Taylor Sellman.

The importance of practice and healthy eating are some of the messages Hallowell Principal Steven Glaize was trying to reinforce during the annual “Go for Three” assembly, during which players and coaches from several college teams have visited the Maple Avenue school. In basketball, the three-point line is a designated arc that surrounds the basket. Players who shoot from inside and score receive two-points. But those intent on ‘going for three’ must work hard, practice and build their skills to score consistently.

“My hope is that we can reiterate the message of the importance of developing positive, lifelong habits in all of our students, and that having our special guests allows for this message to be conveyed in both a fun and novel way,” he said.

The morning started indoors, with a review of Sean Covey’s The 7 Habits of Happy Kids, which emphasizes the importance of setting appropriate goals and developing healthy and beneficial habits to achieve the goals, both individually and collectively.

Penn Quaker junior forward Matt Howard, sophomore forward Sam Jones, Head Coach Steve Donahue, assistant coaches Ira Bowman and Joe Mihalich and Director of Basketball Operations Brad Fadem listened and participated as Glaize led an assembly room full of students through hand motions meant to reinforce concepts including “first thing’s first – work before play,” and “be proactive.”

“You are very young, but the things I preach to these guys are no different than what you learned here today,” Donahue said.

He used his introductions of Howard, a finance major from South Carolina, and Jones, a criminology major from Arizona, as a teaching moment, asking students questions about the players’ home states and helping them understand what they study.

Howard and Jones spoke about the importance of their studies and their practices, and fielded a few questions from students. Then coaches, players and elementary students all hit the playground for a few basketball drills in the September sunshine.

Asked why he wanted to participate, Howard said, “I wanted to show support for children around the community, and get the Penn brand out there.” That means he’d like to see Hallowell students and their parents at Quaker games, and in the future, to keep Penn in mind for their educations.

Jones added that he hoped their example would inspire students to set both academic and athletic goals for themselves.

The athletes and their coaches whooped their encouragement as the students ran toward them for back-and-forth passes of the basketball.

Bowman, himself a Penn graduate who played professional ball with the Sixers and Hawks, said you never know when a school visitor can provide real inspiration.

The late Sixers great Darryl Dawkins came to visit Bowman’s class at Newton Street Elementary in Newark, New Jersey, he said, and he never forgot how much that meant to him.

Second grader Jonathan Zhinin-Quito felt similarly appreciative of the guests from Penn Wednesday morning. He said he had fun, learned a few things about being proactive and healthy eating, and felt like his school must be special for such good basketball players to visit.