Basketball season officially ended this past weekend for Connecticut high schools, but perhaps nowhere in the state was the sport on display as prominently as it was at New Canaan High School Tuesday night, as the Harlem Rockets took on the New Canaan Public School faculty in the 16th Annual Outback Hoops March Madness. High-flying dunks, half court shots and tricky ball handling coupled with hijinks and pranks have made this game one of the most popular events in town for the community, with the majority of the interest coming from students. That said, according to Sangeeta Appel, president of the Board of Directors for the Outback Teen Center, part of the overarching appeal of the event stems from the unique bonding opportunity between NCPS students and their teachers. “It’s a way that the kids can connect and realize that teachers are human, that they have things that they like to do and that there’s something to them outside of what they see in the academic environment,” Appel told NewCanaanite.com. “I think it helps their relationship, and it’s a great way for them to support their teachers, because the teachers are always supporting them.”
Saxe Middle School math teacher Shannon Brown feels the event can serve as an example of perseverance and overcoming obstacles–lessons that can’t always be taught in a classroom.
