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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
There is nothing like a little rivalry to rev up passion and team spirit.
On Friday, May 5, parents, teachers and staff faced off once again in the annual Mitchell vs. Broadmeadow basketball game. Held at the Needham High School gym, the event was attended by hundreds of screaming students and families cheering on their respective teams. Students wore school apparel, and brought along banners and posters they had made to help cheer the players on. Mitchell was coached by Rich Shaw, while Broadmeadow was skippered by Michael Hughes. The teams were well warmed-up and ready to go.
This year marked the 26th anniversary of the game.
“I heard someone telling me that this used to be a fire versus police department thing, and some of were Mitchell and Broadmeadow parents, and then it sort of morphed into this,” Jill Makenchie said. Makenchie is a Mitchell parent, and one of the organizers for this event.
The event, though modestly priced, generates some income for the schools’ PTCs. The event is a community effort, organized not only by parents but teachers, alumni, and staff. Each coach manages any practices their team may have, after recruiting their teams to begin with.
This year, those in charge were able to secure two Boston Celtics jerseys, which were awarded to one boy and one girl in the fifth grade free-throw contest held during halftime.
The students have a lot to do with the evening running smoothly, as well. A number of student organizations lent their time to the event, helping making it as festive as possible. Before the game, the Needham Elementary School Honors Chorus sang the National Anthem, accompanied by the Broadmeadow Honors Band. The band continued on throughout the game as a pep band, lending enthusiasm and spirit to the already high-energy crowd.
While a nasty storm blew through the area, it ended up actually benefitting the game. “All of the sports teams, all of the families that would be at fields right now, they were all cancelled,” Makenchie said. Due to this, the turnout at the game was phenomenal.
