Skyhawks Host Two Community Events at Local Middle Schools

Team Put on a Panel and Basketball Clinics for PE Class at Woodland Middle School and Spoke to Students at Kindezi School About Careers in Sports

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. – This week, the College Park Skyhawks hosted community events on consecutive days at two local middle schools. On Wednesday, members of the business staff visited Woodland Middle School in East Point, Ga. to speak to 25 eighth grade students about careers in sports before taking the court to teach a basketball clinic for 100 sixth and seventh graders for their physical education classes. On Thursday, members of the Skyhawks business team visited the Kindezi School at Old Fourth Ward to speak to 50 students about their career experiences and offer insight into sports careers. 

“Every time we get a chance to be in front of kids at school, it fills my heart with joy,” said Hawks Vice President of G League and 2K League Operations Janice Koon. “I am immensely proud of the work that our Community Impact team does to form these relationships and positively affect kids in our community.”

The event at Woodland Middle School on Wednesday was the second “PE Takeover” that the Skyhawks have hosted this season, with the first coming at Drew Charter School on Feb. 28. Over 100 students got to learn basketball fundamentals from Skyhawks community basketball coaches. Eighth grade students took part in a panel during lunch to learn from members of different departments at the Skyhawks about their career experiences. 

“This is the most engaged that I have seen some of our students,” said Keteria Franks-Smith, parent liaison at Woodland Middle School. “We would love to continue to partner with the Skyhawks to bring this kind of joy to our students.”

On Thursday, the business staff of the Skyhawks also spoke to students at the Kindezi School at Old Fourth Ward about career paths in sports. 

“Having the Skyhawks here gives our geniuses and our athletes a way to see themselves from professionals that are doing this in their community,” said Kindezi School Principal Ryan Free. “The Skyhawks represent the same demographic and many of them have the same stories as our geniuses so that they can really see that their dreams can come true.”