When in Rome, do as the West End Elementary Wolves do!
By Jim Alred, director of communications for Rome City Schools
(Pictured above, West End Principal Dr. Dennis Drummond celebrates new outdoor basketball court and pickleball court ribbon cutting with students)
On Thursday, January 22, at West End Elementary in Rome, Georgia, music pumped throughout the school’s gym as members of the Atlanta Hawks dance team and iconic mascot Harry the Hawk performed for – and with – students. The scene inside the gym was one of many celebrations at the school that day in honor of the official ribbon cutting for the new outdoor basketball court and pickleball court, thanks to West End being named a grand prize winner of Jump Shot for Health, a four-month statewide steps challenge that encouraged State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) members to engage in daily movement while supporting Georgia Title I schools.
The excitement that permeated the gym that day extended far beyond the palpable enthusiasm a large group of West End staff and community members exhibited early last year as the group came together to top all schools in the statewide steps challenge, with the prize being the renovated outdoor basketball court.
At the official ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier in the day, Rome City Schools Board Chair Faith Collins congratulated West End Elementary and everyone who participated in the steps challenge, recognizing the dedication of the steppers and the collective effort that led to the school’s success.
Superintendent Dr. Eric L. Holland – who actually took part in the steps challenge – praised the team for coming together to win by amassing an average of more than 550,000 steps per participant during the four-month contest.
“Our motto at Rome City Schools is, ‘No one of us is as great as all of us,’ and our Jump Shot for Health participants truly showed that – because it took all of them working together to win this,” he said.
West End Principal Dr. Dennis Drummond was all smiles at the event, saying that the ribbon cutting served as a proud principal moment for him because he knew how much use the court would get from the students at West End.
Dr. Drummond wasn’t sure what the response would be when he put out a call for teachers, staff, and others to join the West End team for the challenge early last year.
“Our teachers got excited about it. We got a lot healthier. It was great having that accountability with each other,” Dr. Drummond said. “We included our family members, so a lot of our family members got healthier. But in the end, everything that we did was for our students.”
That accountability showed up in text messages gently reminding participants to keep stepping. Those messages became more frequent when West End jumped to first place in the competition and held the lead up to the final day.
Another school, however, chipped away at that lead – and the day before the contest ended, took over first place. Dr. Drummond sent out an urgent all-hands-on-deck text, imploring everyone to get out and step that day.
“I think a large group of us walked 40,000 steps on the last day to make sure we finished with the victory. Everything we do, we want to win. We were just thankful for the team effort and thankful for the support of our board members, Dr. Holland, the community, and the sponsors that made this possible,” he said.
Dr. Drummond led one of several groups on that last day of the competition that started walking at Ridge Ferry Park after school and didn’t stop until well into the evening. The last day’s efforts paid off, giving West End the much-deserved win. And while winning the challenge was big, it wasn’t about the win for Dr. Drummond and the team – it was about the kids.
“It’s been a heartwarming experience to see the kids once the basketball court and the pickleball court were completed. On that first day to see them rush out there and get the balls and start playing was awesome,” he said. “Ultimately, that’s why we walked literally millions of steps. I’m so thankful because it really was a team effort. It was just amazing to see how everybody chipped in.”
Although the court had been completed for a few months, the official ribbon cutting was held on Thursday, Jan. 22, when Jump Shot for Health sponsors pitched in to make a memorable day for all of the West End students.
Dr. Dennis Drummond thanked the many sponsors and partners who helped make the project possible, including SHBP, the Georgia Department of Community Health, Sharecare, Anthem, CVS Caremark, United Healthcare, Good Sports, and the Atlanta Hawks.
Several of those sponsors spoke at the ceremony, with plenty of photos being taken of the festivities.
Brandeus Davis, Associate Director of Account Management for SHBP at Atlanta-based digital health company Sharecare, was one of many people enjoying the celebration.
“It’s incredible. I think one of the best things about being able to witness the transformation of this initiative is being able to see it from its earliest stage. We wanted to be able to understand how we can really have an impact on Georgia,” he said. “Setting the foundation for this challenge, we really wanted to emphasize making sure that we think about health and wellness and that we think about one of the most important groups of individuals across the state of Georgia: our teachers. Getting a chance to see it from the earliest stages all the way to now and getting a chance to see its final transition into the basketball court is incredible for us.”
Davis and his team at Sharecare were blown away by the response to the challenge and impressed by the massive number of steps West End and other school teams amassed during the four-month challenge. He also couldn’t stop smiling on Thursday as he got to see the celebrations among staff and students.
“We were so thrilled to see all of these amazing opportunities happen throughout the challenge, but getting a chance to actually see the court in its finished form is something that we cherish,” Davis said. “Honestly, getting a chance to see some of the students play on that court as well as the smiles on their faces is something we’ll remember for a long time.”
