You see, even though the goal of the “Basketball Extravaganza” is to have fun and raise money to pay for students’ yearbooks, the teachers want to win the game.

“We are all tied up now for the 10 years — five student wins and five faculty wins,” said Conn, though the Sheffield elementary students were victorious this time around.

“We had over 40 student participants this year and they were all out on the court at the end of the game celebrating their 4-point victory over the faculty,” she said. “They love playing in this game, especially when they beat us.

“It has always been a fundraiser for the third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students, the younger students are just too small,” added Conn. “The faculty team is made up of any faculty member from the elementary, middle, and high school that is willing to put their aging body on the line for some good fun.

Pictured are Sheffield elementary students celebrating a victory with referee Dane Richards (right) during Sheffield’s recent Basketball Extravaganza fundraiser at the school.

“I had just been hired back at SAES in 2015,” said Conn. “Marcia Madigan (our former principal) asked me if I could run a fundraiser that could pay for the students’ yearbooks. I had run the American Heart Association’s ‘Hoops for Heart’ fundraiser at WAEC and it was very successful. So we decided to call it ‘The Basketball Extravaganza’ and have the students raise money to participate in a hoopshoot and a basketball game against a faculty all-star team.”

No parent or student has had to pay for a yearbook since, so everyone comes out a winner.

Well…

“Our refs this year were (middle-school coach) Tony Richards, his son Dane Richards (seventh grade), and Alex VanGelder (eighth grade) — both are Basketball Extravaganza alumni that played all three years in elementary,” said Conn.

“The point was to have the kids have fun,” said VanGelder. “We let the teachers think they were going to come back and win the game.”

Sheffield Elementary School students Amarah Probst and Trinity Snyder are shown facing off with teachers Molly Chapman and Amy O’Donnell during the game.

It was not to be.

“I called traveling on Mrs. Black twice,” said VanGelder, who also threatened to call a technical foul.

He didn’t necessarily need to because “I stole the ball a few times, got rebounds a few times,” added VanGelder, who plays on the middle-school team.

“Mr. Harris (Principal Kylie Harris’ husband) coached the faculty team,” said Conn. “Mr. Mueller coached the student team. His son, Liam Mueller, played on the team this year for the first time as a third grader.

“These kiddos look forward to playing in this game every year,” she said. “Many of the fifth graders have played all three years. I always have past players that come back to help coach or referee.”

There have been last-minute theatrics to win games over the years.

“The biggest win is seeing the smiles on all the kids, the packed stands, and a community coming together for a great cause,” said Conn.

Though the students don’t mind beating the teachers.

“It was so fun,” said Sheffield student Ava Robbins. “I really liked getting to spend time with my friends and go out on the court with them. It was one of my favorite nights. The teachers are a lot taller and they can throw farther. But we still won!”

Basketball wasn’t even Trinity Snyder’s favorite part of the evening.

“When they called you out on the floor to do the Wolverines’ dance,” Snyder told Principal Harris.

“Cotton-eyed Joe? That was your favorite part? Me dancing?” Mrs. Harris asked.

“Yes!” responded Trinity. “I was so glad you did it with us. I will always remember it.”

When Principal Harris first came to Sheffield Elementary School, one of her earliest questions was, “What are the traditions? What are the priorities?

“The Basketball Extravaganza was one of the first traditions that was brought to my attention,” she said, “and I appreciate tremendously the work that Mrs. Conn, Mrs. Streich, and the entire team put into making this event possible each year. The volume of staff and parent volunteers that it takes to make something of this magnitude possible is really quite extensive, and I can’t thank everyone enough for continuing to give their time to make this amazing night possible. Next year should be even more interesting with the score now tied 5-5. I can hardly wait.”

Harris concedes the sore muscles are worth providing yearbooks at no cost to students.

“Seeing the back-and-forth banter between the students and staff, and the sheer joy on the students’ faces, truly says it all,” said Harris. “I am absolutely not an athlete and was really hoping to observe this year’s game, but the students made it very clear that was not an option for me. I think that all of the adults who play in the game anticipate some pretty sore muscles for the days after, but we all still willingly take the court simply for the joy of the students.”