North View Middle School Hosts Own Version of March Madness
While the NCAA men’s basketball tournament kicked into high gear Thursday, North View Middle School’s own version of March Madness is just winding down.
The school tournament took place throughout the month, a friendly competition started by teacher Andrea Gross.
“We don’t have to really hype it up,” Gross said. “The kids do that themselves!”
This is the Brooklyn Park middle school’s third annual competition. Kids chose their team names and compiled groups from each grade for some friendly competition. Gross said this sport was the perfect bonding opportunity for North View.
“They are always playing basketball. So, we figured, let’s do some sort of tournament. Make it fun for them and for us as teachers to get involved,” Gross said.
A bracket hung on the walls of North View showcases all the teams competing in March Madness.
This year, students had to be on their best behavior to take part. They also earned rewards for good behavior in class to buy snacks on the day of the championship. Right before spring break, it’s just the right push they need to make it to the finish line.
“Having that encouragement, like: ‘okay, let’s go to class, then go play in your basketball tournament!’ is a nice reward to have,” Gross said.
For most of March, the kids played each other. A bracket hanging on the wall in the school hallway demonstrates how the tournament played out. Gross said the first set of rounds had no spectators, but as more and more teams got eliminated, kids popped their heads in to see how others were faring.
Face Off
Thursday’s matchup was slightly different: staff vs. students. Gross said staff wanted to join in on the tournament in some way and the students loved it.
That morning, kids sat in the bleachers to watch 20 of their classmates take on the adults in the building.
North View staff and students compete in a special tournament during their March Madness series.
Before Thursday, students worked their way to hopefully be a part of the championship. Sixth-grader Blandine Koivogui’s multi-grade team, Black Lives Matter, made it to the Final Four.
She’s also a part of the dance team, which will perform at half time during Friday’s championship.
“It is really good because some of my friends that I don’t have class with, I get to see them there,” Blandine said. “We’ll get to be having fun!”
At the same time, seventh-grader Triumph Famuyide’s team, Grimace, almost made it to the finals. He’s still in good spirits.
“My team made it to to Elite Eight, but we lost. But it was really fun!” Triumph said. “Watching the game is really fun, and seeing other people play!”
Luckily, Triumph and his classmates still got some play time in the staff game. The staff won by 30 points, but in the end, they’re all in this together.
“Everyone is just having fun, even if they aren’t playing,” Gross said. “That’s good to see.”
During fifth and sixth hour on Friday, students are excused from class to watch the championship game. Gross said there will be plenty of opportunities for students to spend time together, watching the game or not, before spring break starts next week.
