On a cold winter Wednesday in mid-February, Middle School boys stayed warm and active at the annual Hoops for Habitat. The event raises the spirits of all who attend; it also raises money for Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake while raising awareness of the organizations served through service opportunities at Gilman. Not to mention the voices that are raised in loud cheers throughout the festivities!

The first item on the agenda: the hula hoop competition — a tradition that came about during the pandemic when it wasn’t safe for students to play basketball with one another. Middle School History Teacher Mark Lemon emceed the contests, noting the “steady athleticism of hip mobility” displayed by the competitors. He also educated the crowd, explaining how the term “hula hoop” comes from the Hawaiian dance and has been used since 500 BC; the modern version of the activity was popularized in 1958. Congratulations to Marco F. ’30, who was the overall hula winner, and to Dami K. ’29 and Lee K. ’31 who represented their respective classes in the finals.

Next up: 3-on-3 basketball games — 65 of them! Middle School Math Department Chair Hannah Kolkin led the basketball tournament, which included 11 sixth grade teams, 16 seventh grade teams, and 11 eighth grade teams. Competition was fierce but the following teams came out on top: Big Three (sixth grade) Jonathan E., Kenji M., and Damien M.; Lil Baby Elite (seventh grade) Neme E., Josiah T., and Liam G.; and El Taquitos (eighth grade) Thomas S., Colter M., and Max Z.

After the games, boys participated in service learning activities, like making sandwiches to give to Our Daily Bread, a nonprofit organization that serves families that are food insecure. Thirty loaves of bread, 10 giant jars of peanut butter and a dozen jars of jelly later, the Middle School bagged 638 sandwiches! A big thank you to the Upper School Sandwich Club, led by Upper School English Teacher Larry Malkus, for delivering the sandwiches to Our Daily Bread.

Another group of Middle Schoolers gathered to make 120 cards for servicemen and women through Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit organization that sends the cards to military bases around the world. New this year: Middle School Social Studies Teacher Isaiah Buchanan provided a list of “dad jokes” — aka corny, eye roll-inducing punchlines — that the students sifted through and included in their thank you notes. “The hope is that not only gratitude would be delivered, but hopefully some laughter as well,” said Brooke Thomas, who teaches pre-kindergarten and also serves as a Service Learning Liaison. “From beginning to end, the afternoon was filled with activity, purpose, and having fun as a Middle School community.”

Kolkin agreed. “The whole event is a great confluence of efforts from the faculty, parent, and student volunteers. We all have to work together to make the tournament work well,” she said. “Parents are willing to help manage the schedule of all the games. Students take a leadership role in helping retrieve the teams and all their members. And then we have a whole other component that gives the students opportunities to serve communities outside of Gilman.”

Thank you to everyone who helped make the afternoon a success!

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