6 ,5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Unite!

This weekend I witnessed a sight that I haven't seen in about 28 years, a state basketball game.  In my early years at Ortonville as a young teacher, I followed every game, hung on every shot, cried at every loss, and celebrated every win.  Winter 1982, Ortonville went to the state basketball tournaments.  We were beaten in our first game by Chisholm ( interesting that I still remember that).   While it was devastating, what it did for our community was what every trip to the state tournament does for every community. We put aside our differences, and we became one.

This past weekend I was once again caught up in the proud community swell that is the state basketball tournament. This time we owe Coach Willie and the boy's basketball team from Columbia Heights for that great excitement that is the post season in any high school sport.  What we really owe them is a debt of gratitude for uniting the community together behind something so significant as this ballgame. The Target center was a sea of blue and yellow for the three games this past week.  Work did not allow me to see the preliminary games, but I know a bus was filled with people from our community, students on spring break got to see the game without missing school, and our fan support base was amazing.

In a sometimes divided community because of our immigration and diversity, all of the that seem insignificant as we cheered our team as they entered the arena to play that game. In my 15 years as a school board member, I have not witnessed such unification of our community even though we have tried, often with limited success, over the last few years.  We have had pockets of small gains, but nothing as large as this game.  We were not different groups of people, we were Hylanders.  We bled blue and yellow.   The past few efforts of collaboration will be testaments to the this series of games: when all is said and done, we love our kids, we love our school, we love community.   You have heard our Mayor talk about it, you have heard our board chairs and superintendent talk about it, but nothing is as clear as standing together all in one cheering the rouser!

So thank you Willie, you believe in our students and our school.  We are grateful and thankful for you and your leadership.  Thank you Hylander basketball team and all teams, athletic and academic,  you continue to give us reason to be proud of you and of our community.  Let's remember the lesson of this weekend.  No matter what color or language or place we come from, we are Hylanders and that is enough to believe in.  We're going to fight for you our honor, our team so strong and true.

And that's the game!

Keith