The senior class of 2024 hosted the first senior vs. staff basketball game on Friday, March 15, during lunch in the field house. Students and school administrators alike attended to cheer on their friends and teachers.
After winning the tip-off, the seniors gained and maintained a strong lead for the first half of the game, scoring 16-4 against the staff. However, the staff ultimately surpassed them during the second half and won the game, beating the students 38-34.
The game was based on similar events at Cupertino High School and Fremont High School, as well as past MVHS student vs staff soccer games, and ran 20 minutes long, containing a brief halftime in between. The idea for the game was originally pitched to leadership teacher Kenneth Gan — who also participated — by the 2024 class officers. Gan says he does not play basketball, and had to borrow his brother’s basketball shoes for the game, but he accepted the challenge to play in order to try something new and entertain the students.
“I knew that the kids and the students would really enjoy seeing people who kind of act like a fool when trying to play basketball,” Gan said. “I knew it would be a fun time and that everyone would enjoy it. So I wanted to play just to build that community here at Monta Vista.”
Even though Gan feels he didn’t play well, he still believes the game was a huge success because of the large number of students and staff who came to cheer on the players. He notes that even two of his former students came to play with the staff, giving him and his colleagues a quick break to rest.
“Just seeing how many students showed up was a highlight of the game,” Gan said. “I think there was a really big group of fans coming up to both support us and their classmates and a bunch of my other coworkers and friends showed up. I probably saw two or three admin cheering us on. So I just think how many people were there was just a really, really fun experience.”
