An Arlington elementary school celebrated a major upgrade to its basketball court this week thanks to a local dad and some pro sports teams.
Mascots from the Washington Wizards and Mystics joined a crowd of third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students on Monday to mark the installation of four new basketball hoops at Barcroft Elementary School. The hoops, courtesy of the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation, replaced deteriorating equipment that dated back to the 1960s.
“Parents were involved in this, [Arlington Public Schools] maintenance, Mystics, Wizards,” Barcroft Principal Judy Apostolico-Buck told ARLnow. “I think it says to kids, like, ‘You matter. We want you to have nice things.'”
It all started with Alex Brosseau, the father of a Barcroft fourth grader who is “big into basketball.” He contacted the MSE Foundation, which provides grants to nonprofits in the D.C. area, earlier this year.
“I sent just a cold email, which was well received,” he told ARLnow.
MSE Foundation CEO Liz Pace said that when she saw pictures of the old hoops — which she described as “really decrepit” — she wanted to help.
“They reached out. We had the funding,” she said. “We want to give back to the community as much as we can… We’re a member of the community and we want to try and leave the community a better place than when we came here.”
A ceremony commemorating the hoops came during Barcroft Elementary’s field day. Students cheered as mascots led a ribbon cutting and shot baskets as part of the day’s festivities.
“Being able to provide [kids] with an opportunity to cultivate the spirit of community for basketball is something we’re really excited to do here today,” said Caroline Williams-Kee, fan development coordinator for the Wizards.
Brosseau hopes his story can serve as a lesson for others.
“It’s a reminder to me, resources are out there if you just ask,” he said.
