The Sept. 27 Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Highbridge Green School saw fun, games, music, and some legendary New York athletes from pro hockey, basketball and the world-famous Rockettes.
The school falls within District 9, where approximately 17,000 of the 24,000 K-12 students are Hispanic or Latino.
The celebration was held after school and was attended by approximately 200 sixth-through-eighth graders who had energy to burn. They filled the gym with excited screams, pounced on the furry dog mascot, Hudson, and immediately put on their new Knicks and Rangers t-shirts for a group photo.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson was on hand to kick off the activities. “This event is about your dreams, your talents and realizing all the great things you can do,” she said.
The students rotated around the building for face painting, arts and crafts, video games, basketball and hockey mini-clinics and a dance lesson from members of the Rockettes. A DJ blasted music outside, and Hudson bounced around to keep the students pumped up.
Adam Graves, who played for the Rangers from 1991 to 2001, brought the students outside for a street hockey mini-clinic. Often times at these types of events, he said, many kids have never tried hockey and are hesitant at first — but they always catch on quickly. “All that shyness goes away in five to ten minutes,” said Graves.
Hockey can be seen as an elitist sport that is difficult for city kids to access. But Graves said as a kid growing up in Canada, he spent most of his time not on the ice but playing hockey in the street.
Watching the kids run around with plastic sticks, “This is exactly how I grew up,” he said.
Graves said the NHL is becoming more diverse than it was during his career, which began when he was drafted in 1986. Various Junior Rangers programs, including the Free to Play program, have allowed over 300,000 kids in the tri-state area to try the sport for free, including equipment and instruction, he said. The Professional Women’s Hockey League is becoming more and more popular, and the NHL attracts players from around the world, far beyond Canada and the United States.
“It’s becoming an international sport and is better for it,” Graves said. “Hockey is for everyone.”
John Starks, NBA legend who played for the Knicks from 1990 to 1998, said he hopes the Highbridge kids will understand and appreciate all aspects of basketball.
“The game is about making sure you’re fit, in shape,” he said. Whether shooting hoops solo or playing with a group, “It’s a beautiful game.”
Starks said he traveled the world throughout his career, and while few can make it as a player, there are many different roles within the league that draw on different talents.
“There’s a business around basketball, and they can be part of it,” said Starks.
In one of the classrooms, two members of the Rockettes, Maya Addie and Valeria Yamin, taught students a bit of their signature high-kick choreography. The students learned to put their arms behind their neighbor’s back — without touching, as the Rockettes are taught — to form a neat line and kick in sync as a team.
The event was designed to bring out students’ passions and show them what’s possible, they said. For the many who love dance, “They could be in our position,” said Addie.
Seeing the Rockettes’ iconic Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall can be expensive, with tickets starting around $45-$56 each. But Yamin said these kinds of events allow kids a close, personal view into the discipline and joy of professional dance.
“They don’t only have to go to the show to feel and understand what we do,” she said.
The Highbridge Green event in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which began on Sept. 15, was hosted by MSG Sports, MSG Entertainment, the Garden of Dreams Foundation and Kia, in partnership with the Bronx-based nonprofit WHEDco, which runs afterschool programming at the middle school.
Gibson’s office is also hosting an event for Hispanic Heritage Month at Bronx Borough Hall on Oct. 3. For more information on events across the city, see https://www.iloveny.com/blog/post/celebrate-hispanic-heritage-month-at-these-events-in-new-york-state/.
This story was updated Oct. 2 at 11:45 to clarify details about Junior Rangers programs and ticket prices for the Rockettes.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
