This year, the National Honor Society recognized a problem: heart disease is the number one cause of death in America. To combat this, they chose to fundraise for the American Heart Association by hosting Hoops for Heart.
The bracket-style 3v3 basketball tournament took place after school on March 20 with an impressive turnout of 19 student teams.
With the help of everyone who attended, the NHS was able to raise $2,500 from a combination of team registration fees and donations. The money went towards research and care for those suffering from heart and circulatory system diseases.
Forty-four NHS members participated by setting-up, cleaning-up, helping support in the stands, and even playing on the court.
“I was very impressed by the good sportsmanship and the student turnout,” said Ms. Volinsky, the sponsor of Wilde Lake’s chapter of NHS.
According to Ms.Volinsky, the goal of Hoops for Heart was not only to raise money for the American Heart Association, but also to bring Wilde Lake students together.
The winner of the event was “Team Swish,” made up of members from the varsity basketball team: graduate Steven Jordan, junior Austin Cantwell, and junior Kyle Ichrist. Chik-fil-A gift card prizes were given out to the winners of the t-shirt decorating contest, “The Prairie Dogs,” with their Maryland flag themed design.
“More people than I expected came out to support the event, and we raised a lot more money than I thought we would,” said Paige Boyer, former NHS president, citing the event as a success.
“It seemed like all the participants were having a really good time for a really good cause,” said graduate Justin Allen, who agreed with Boyer about the event’s success.