CHESAPEAKE — A special visitor brought an important message to students at Chesapeake Elementary School on Friday.
Briana “Hoops” Green of the Harlem Globetrotters paid a visit and spoke to an assembly of the school’s students.
Green, a native of Lexington, Kentucky, is only the 15th woman to play for the 91-year-old exhibition team, which is in the area for appearances in Charleston and Huntington this week.
“I’m in my first year,” Green said of her time on the team. “I’m a rookie.”
Chesapeake Elementary competed with six schools from across the Tri-State in order to win a visit from Green.
Principal Trisha Harris said, to enter the contest, conducted through “The Dave and Jenn Morning Show” of WKEE-FM in Huntington, the school submitted a video of their physical fitness activities.
“We just did a video of what we do in physical education class,” Kevin Hutchison, the school’s PE teacher, said. “They did their warm-up exercises, dance moves — this week is Hoops for Heart, so we had them do basketball drills, too.”
In addition to showing off her basketball skills, Green had a lesson for the school.
“I’m here to talk about the ABCs of bullying prevention,” she said.
After warming the crowd up with “The Clapping game,” Green asked for student volunteers to discuss the subject with her.
She said the ABCs of prevention are “action, bravery and compassion.
“Action,” she defined as telling a bully to stop or informing a principal or teacher if they see bullying taking place.
Green said “bravery”could be shown simply by walking away from a bully.
“It doesn’t mean you’re scared,” she said. “It means you’re the bigger person.”
And, to show “compassion,” Green said students should offer friendship to those who have been picked on.
“Let them know you are their friend,” she said. “Talk to them, invite them to sit with you at lunch.”
Following the lesson, Green invited a few teachers to join the student in front of the crowd, where she taught them a few of her moves.
Green’s message was part of the team’s “Ambassadors of Goodwill” outreach to the area.
She also visited St. Joseph Grade School and Hoops Family Children’s Hospital in Huntington.
The team is set to play at the Charleston Civic Center on Tuesday and the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington on Wednesday.