In the spirit of friendship and inclusion, Port Hardy Secondary School (PHSS) will be hosting an inter-school basketball tournament March 6.
Dubbed the North Island Friendship Intermediate Basketball Tournament, the event will feature two courts of action with a concession stand organized by the graduating class of 2015 from PHSS.
Organizer Sean Barfoot, a physical education teacher from Eagle View Elementary in Port Hardy, says the purpose of the event is to grow friendship and camaraderie amongst the eight schools in attendance.
“It’s a friendship tournament, the goal being to build friendships and connect all the North Island schools,” said Barfoot.
The coed tournament will feature Grade 6 and 7 students from all around the region including Fort Rupert Elementary, Eagle View Elementary, Gwasala’-Nakwaxda’xw Elementary, Sunset Elementary, K’ak’ot’lats’i Elementary, AJ Elliot Elementary, and Alert Bay Elementary. During halftime, students will be treated to a unique spectacle of seeing their older PHSS peers compete against teachers from PHSS, who many will be taught by in the coming years.
“There is a halftime show with teachers versus the high school students, which is just to showcase to the younger kids that down the road you could be playing in this little game, too,” said Barfoot.
“Some of these kids will be going to PHSS, so it is just a fun game to see more developed players play and the younger students really like that part,” Barfoot said.
Although the event is not entirely open to the public, the tournament is an ideal representation of the spirit of togetherness through organized sport.
However friends and family of students are encourage to come out and cheer the players on.
The first game begins at 9:15 a.m. and the final wraps up at 1:55 p.m.
