As the bleachers filled during Highlander Time Flex on Friday morning, all McLean staff and students knew they were in for a treat. McLean’s annual Students vs. Teachers Basketball game provides a highly anticipated and whimsical atmosphere for the McLean community. Organized by McDanceathon, one of McLean’s largest nonprofit organizations, the entrance fee of three dollars go directly to the Children’s National Hospital.
“We put on this whole event for the kids,” senior Kyle Jones said. “It’s amazing to be able to raise money for the National Hospital and have fun while doing it.”
Senior Sam Rakowski, serving as the PA announcer for the match, introduced both starting lineups of students and teachers, to a loud eruption of cheers from the student section. The students quickly grabbed the opening tipoff in which senior Ben Irish swished a three-pointer for the first points of the game. The teachers responded with a layup by School Resource Officer Scott Davis. It quickly morphed into an incredibly close game, with both teams trading baskets throughout. At halftime, the students led 16-14.
We had to make several adjustments to the defense after the students started hitting their shots in the first half,” Assistant Student Activities Director Jenny Sabota said. “Once we were able to find our footing, we knew we could win this game.”
Following an enthusiastic halftime dance by Senior Zachariah Nije, the second half began. Led by Sabota as coach, the teachers had changed their strategy, and as soon after the half started, the teachers began to pull away.
“The team’s chemistry worked very well together, ” Davis said. “I thought we all played great and it was fun to see [the teachers] take the lead and never look back.”
The teachers dominated every aspect of the court for the second half, going on a 13-3 run to end the game. A late effort from the students attempting shots from halfcourt proved futile as the teachers widened their lead. Officer Davis led the charge for the teachers, shooting several rebounds and finishing with 10 points on the game.
“We definitely didn’t give up too many points in the second half,” special education teacher Ky Parrott said. “We started closing in on them by making three pointers and didn’t slow down.”
The final buzzer sounded to a shocked team of students as the teachers won their second consecutive annual McDanceathon game with a final score 27-19. After a quick picture for the charitable cause, the grand total of the games fundraising efforts was announced. They raised over $800, nearly $200 more than last year. Overall, the event perfectly encapsulated the goals of McDanceathon’s fundraising efforts, as well as the kindness of McLean students and teachers alike.
“The event is awesome to play and it’s bigger than ourselves,” Parrott said. “It’s for a charitable cause where we can raise profits, and the entire game is just a lot of fun.”
