The members of the M.C. Knoll basketball teams undoubtedly have sports heroes, players who they love for their play style, their conduct on and off the court, people who they want to emulate as they play the game. But what about heroes from off the court? At the pep rally kicking off the city championship basketball tournament for elementary schools, M.C. Knoll recognized their heroes within the community.
Mark Schendel, phys. ed. teacher and coach at M.C. Knoll, explains that they wanted to recognize 鈥渢hose true heroes around us,鈥� showing kids on the teams and students in the building that people outside of sports are also deserving of recognition. The five people recognized were police officer Cst. Cameron Nash, basketball coach Tony Hayden, paramedic Mike Kirby, registered nurse Janice Schendel, Master Warrant Officer Todd Appel.
鈥淔or each of those individuals, they really do over-extend themselves. They do such exemplary work in the fields that they鈥檙e in. They also spend a lot of their time volunteering outside of it.鈥�
The people recognized were suggested by the staff and students of the school. They all have connections to the school, whether they are the parents of students or staff, or have came into the school for different projects. Schendel says that the other common thread is that they鈥檙e humble not looking for recognition.
鈥淭hey do such heroic things, but they still just think they鈥檙e doing their job, and that鈥檚 the amazing thing. One of things I looked at while doing this program is that it鈥檚 adults, and it鈥檚 great awareness for us as adults that we don鈥檛 get to pick what kids remember about us.鈥�
Kirby thinks it鈥檚 great to have the school recognize people in the community, and it鈥檚 especially nice for him, as his son is a student at M.C. Knoll and gets the chance to see his dad recognized for something he does every day.
鈥淕reat people that are pillars of the community. It鈥檚 really nice to see that the people who were chosen are the best of the best.鈥�
Kirby didn鈥檛 see it coming, and admits that in his day job he鈥檚 mostly staying in the background, so it feels nice to have some recognition.
鈥淲e see people at their worst and rarely at their best.鈥�
Nash believes the program is great just because it shows kids what鈥檚 happening in the community and the people doing things around them. He admits that he鈥檚 a bit embarrassed by the attention, but is happy to show the students what people do in the community.
鈥淚t鈥檚 for the kids.鈥�
Hayden, meanwhile, thinks that Mark Schendel himself deserves recognition. He notes that Schendel has been doing a lot of things in the community himself, whether it鈥檚 raising money for different initiatives or showing kids more about the community thought a program like Hoops for Heroes. As for himself, he鈥檚 proud that people appreciate what he鈥檚 done over the years for the basketball program.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an honour be recognized for what you鈥檙e doing and that people appreciate what you鈥檙e doing.鈥�
