By Ashley Docking
It’s been about 10 years since I’ve walked the halls of a school in Scarborough. I was in high school then and my most memorable moments have nothing to do with algebra or beakers.
My memories involve things that were more covert. Passing notes to friends. Swerving teachers in the hallways. “Helping” peers out on tests.
This time was a little different. No untoward behaviour, but back in the borough attempting to sneak Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam into Tredway Woodsworth Public School. The plan was to surprise a group of 600 Right to Play participants, ranging from Grades 1-8.
About a dozen youth leaders who attend Woodsworth were running 10 activity stations for their peers. They were engaging each other in games that reflect Right to Play’s core methodologies: connect, reflect, and apply. This Youth to Youth program is the only Toronto-centric initiative associated with Right to Play.
Siakam, set to disrupt the organizational flow of the day, headed to the school right after Raptors practice. Most of the event was taking place outdoors and Siakam hadn’t brought a jacket on a chilly Tuesday afternoon in early March. But, given a tongue-in-cheek promise of hot chocolate, the high-energy power forward, who’s been a key cog in Toronto’s terrific regular season so far, was good to go.
Covertly parking in a side lot, Siakam was ushered through what one of the students referred to as the “fourth door”. Once he appeared inside the schoolyard, whispers, questions and silent awe slowly turned into recognition and excitement. Children ran to hug Siakam, chants of “M-V-P” rang out and some students spoke amongst themselves, wondering if that was Usain Bolt joining them.
It was so dope hanging out with the kids at Tredway Woodsworth public school! I didn’t expect the reaction, I guess I’m kind of a big deal now 🤷🏾♂️😂 they definitely made my day! #righttoplay #doingitforyou #humblehustle🙏🏾👏🏾 #spicy🌶 pic.twitter.com/VXMvtXsmNh
— pascal siakam (@pskills43) March 5, 2018
That is a hard no, although if you asked him, Siakam would probably tell you that he’d give the Jamaican sprinting superstar a run for his money. . . . at least for the first 40 metres. It just seems to be his personality. Half-kidding, but also fully confident.
Siakam also put his playful side on full display, trying to get in on a soccer game pretty much the moment after he arrived.
“C’mon, give me the ball,” he challenged the students, eager to dribble and deke around them to prove why the nickname Skills is warranted.
But this visit wasn’t just about being seen, Siakam took some time to pass on pieces of advice while fielding questions about “why he’s so tall?” or “what’s it like to be famous?”. In response, he encouraged kids to “drink lots of milk” and “listen to their parents”.
But the most poignant message came later when Siakam met with the youth leaders to applaud their efforts. He encouraged them to dream. . . and dream BIG!
“I think a lot of kids growing up, we have dreams. We think about a lot of things that we want to do and sometimes it might feel like, you know, it’s not even possible, that we can’t really achieve that,” Siakam said in an interview with NBA.com.
“But I think it’s really important to let kids know, starting from when they’re young, that if they put their mind to something and put the time in, they can definitely achieve it. It’s a cliche, but I think it’s definitely true.”
Before meeting Siakam, Grade 7 youth leaders Elijah and Kaiden said they were both well aware of the NBA player. Kaiden listed him as his third favourite player on the Raps behind All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. That’s pretty high praise for Siakam, a second-year NBA player. One of the reasons the two students are drawn to Siakam is his laid-back attitude away from the court.
“He’s so funny,” Kaiden said, snickering. “I see him on Snapchat and Instagram, and he’s playing Fortnite and stuff like that.”
Elijah then provides an answer much wiser than something you may expect from an elementary school student.
“(Seeing Siakam) teaches me that even if you’re famous it doesn’t mean that you have to change your personality. You could be famous and still playing video games and stuff.”
Fun and games aside, the insight from these kids is impressive. Kaiden, who wants to be a NBA star, says programs like Youth to Youth have helped embolden him.
“I’m kind of shy and I don’t speak up a lot but with this I’ve gained a little bit of courage and now I can answer questions in class.”
Elijah, who dreams of being an NFL cornerback one day, says this program will act as a chain reaction of leadership training for his siblings.
“This is teaching me how to lead and help other people and other kids. I have a (younger) sister (and) now I have a baby brother, so when he gets older, she can lead him (because) I’ve shown her how to lead.”
But through it all, the enlightenment that comes from these appearances isn’t just for the kids, Siakam says.
“They definitely remind me you can’t take things for granted and (to) appreciate the position that you’re in,” he said. “I could have been like, ‘I don’t want to do this today’. Just seeing the reaction that the kids had, I’m sure they had a pretty good day.”
As Siakam finished the sentence, the bell rang.
School’s out.
