The Community Challenge is an annual event that takes place in the Lakewood High School gymnasium. The event is a basketball game. The first team is the people of the Lakewood community, and the second team is Lakewood High School and Middle School teachers and staff.
This game started strong for the Community team. They consecutively kept a sizable winning streak for the first half, not allowing the Teacher Team to get ahead. However, when the third quarter rolled in, the Teacher Team strived to get more shots, and they kept an extremely close game until the fourth quarter and tied the game.
There was suspense during overtime; who was going to win? Countless shots and free throws were made, but ultimately, the Teacher Team won with a tight score of 63-61.
There were ways to include the audience in the games between quarters. Before and throughout the games, there were raffle baskets for $20 and a 50/50 raffle for $1 a ticket. After the third quarter, the winners were pulled. The 50/50 raffle winner won $84! All of the money made from these raffles went towards the senior’s prom for this year.
“Musical chairs was really fun,” freshman Harper Williams said.
Activities like musical chairs and relay races engaged the audience, directly connecting them to the court and the community. Anyone in the crowd could join, so there was a variety of ages. If you were a winner, you received a chocolate bar.
Even if you weren’t a part of these audience games, you could still entertain yourself by watching them.
“It was a great time, watching them between quarters,” freshman Clover Griggs said.
There was a great turnout. The crowd during this event was wild, with everyone in the stands cheering as loud as they could when a shot was made, and even louder if it went in the basket.
“It was great fan support,” Matt Kocur, a Harding Middle School teacher who played on the Teacher Team, said.
If you’re wondering if you should go to the Community Challenge next year, it would be a great idea. For only $5, you can support your team and indulge in an entertaining basketball game.
If you are a student or previously a student within Lakewood City Schools, it’s fun to cheer on current or old teachers that you haven’t seen for a while.
“I had lots of fun cheering on old teachers that I knew,” Griggs said.
This event is also a perfect opportunity to hang out with friends. Sitting and cheering on your team for a few hours, eating food, and socializing is an ideal way to spend a Saturday night.
“It was great to hang out with my friends and get food at the concession stand,” Griggs said.
Any money made during this event is given towards the Senior prom for this year. It helps cover some expenses and makes it cheaper to go.
“It’s our gift to the seniors,” Kocur said. “They were my first student teaching group, so it’s nice to give them a bit of extra money since they didn’t have a traditional middle school when I got to know them.”
Not only can you be a spectator, but also a player. You can be on the Community team if you are a part of the Lakewood Community but not a student or teacher. Or, if you are a staff member at Harding or Garfield Middle School or Lakewood High School, you can be a part of the Teacher Team.
“It was really fun; a lot of teachers come from different buildings to play, and it’s nice to see some community members,” Kocur said.
The Community Challenge will also happen next year, and it would be great if more people could attend.
“I would recommend that people go because there are lots of teachers and people who I knew that students can go and cheer on,” Griggs said.
Whether you’re a student, parent, community member, or elementary school student, anyone can come and support the seniors and cheer on the teams.
