On Saturday 3/11, families, alumni, faculty/staff, and friends filled the Fieldston campus with orange pride at the first-ever ECFS All Stars Community Basketball Day!
The event kicked off at the Title IX 50th Anniversary Reception, which recognized the impact of Title IX on girls sports at ECFS. By enshrining in law that there could be no sex-based discrimination in schools, Title IX transformed many areas of study, including athletics. The shift at Fieldston can be seen starkly in yearbooks from the 1970s, when more and more girls sports teams began appearing alongside the boys teams.
Mirembe M. ’24 addressed the crowd about her experience as a female athlete at Fieldston. She shared how she worked with her coaches to adapt her training plan when she was addressed with iron-deficiency anemia and how she’s gone on to break five school records since. Through track, she learned to “never give up. I have had races, workouts, and seasons where I have wanted to quit. In school, I use this as motivation to encourage myself in classes that I struggle in. I remind myself that I will have many days where I feel lost and overwhelmed, but by using my support systems and continuing to study hard, I will eventually have a breakthrough.”
Across campus in the Junior Varsity Gym, our youngest Eagles were busy honing their basketball skills with a team of coaches. From dribbling to passing to shooting baskets, the energy was electric!
Finally, it was time for the student and alumni basketball game with Team Eagles, coached by Rich Kleiman ’95, P’27, P’31, and Team Orange, coached by Emeka Okafor P’31, P’35. The bleachers in the Varsity Gym were packed as the game tipped off! Students and alumni worked together to fake out the other team, move the ball across the court, and score baskets — there were even a couple of slam dunks.
At halftime, the crowd joined in the fun with a half court challenge, picked up some new spirit gear, and got pictures with the Eagle.
Back on the court, the players wrapped up a competitive game with Team Orange coming out on top 68-65. It was a true buzzer beater!
On the heels of the community day, our alumni rallied for the March Madness Alumni Challenge! Alumni competed on teams with others from their decade to raise money for the School. In the end, the 1990s triumphed, and the challenge raised nearly $75,000 for ECFS. We’re so grateful to everyone who supported the challenge, our students, and our School!
