ROXBURY, Mass. – Early Thursday morning, hundreds of students from the greater Boston community gathered at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury to celebrate their achievements in the classroom.
The group consisted of youth from both Boston and Lawrence Public Schools who held perfect attendance records or were able to maintain a high grade point average throughout the school year. The students’ accomplishments were tracked through their participation in two of the Boston Celtics’ educational initiatives: Stay in School and Step Your Game Up.
The culmination of the 2015-16 school year marked the 25th anniversary of the Stay in School program, presented by the Arbella Insurance Foundation. The program, which is the longest running educational initiative in American professional sports, uses an incentivized approach to increase student engagement and attendance at the middle school level in Boston Public Schools.
Running simultaneously in the Boston and Lawrence Public Schools district was the Step Your Game Up program, presented by the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation. The program challenges select middle school students who are struggling with tardiness, absenteeism and failing grades to enhance their performance via personalized letters and contracts. Once students are enrolled, they are motivated to raise their average daily attendance and grade point average in exchange for Celtics gear and tickets to games.
The Celtics invited students from both initiatives to a year-end celebration at the Reggie Lewis Center, which was transformed into a carnival-themed environment. The teens had the opportunity to jump in bounce houses, play an array of arcade games, participate in Jr. NBA skills challenges, and satisfy their sweet tooth with some fresh cotton candy.
Celtics guard Terry Rozier joined in on the fun, along with assistant coach and former player Walter McCarty, former player Dana Barros, mascot Lucky and his dunk team. The VIPs mingled with the students, engaged in friendly competition and tried their luck with the various carnival games.
“They deserve it. All year round it’s all about education,” said Rozier. “They’re learning a lot so it’s good to put together something like this. It was great to be able to come hang out with these kids and be able to put a smile on their faces.”
Later in the afternoon, the students took a break from the festivities as Step Your Game Up founder Judy Pagliuca, among others, reflected on the programs and the success of the school year.
“I hope that they have this intrinsic feeling that they can do what they want in life,” said Pagliuca. “And know, that the Celtics are behind them and want to see them succeed and have a strong sense of pride in doing so.”
On their way out, students received signed Celtics items as rewards for their accomplishments. These included awards for the recipient of the Most Improved Pupil and recognition for the winners of the writing and art contests.
The students headed back to their respective schools after the long day of activities with their heads held high and the promise of summer vacation just around the corner!
