Patrick M. Villano School celebrated March Madness with its own exciting event on the court. It was an an entertaining basketball game between elementary students and staff as part of the an annual March Madness food drive and Spirit Week. Students in grades 4 through 6 took on their teachers. The game was played at Emerson Junior-Senior High School on March 26, 2026.
“It was such a great event! All of the players and fans, both students and teachers, really seemed to enjoy it,” Breanne De Carlo, a fifth-grade teacher, said.
DeCarlo played as a staff member, and she helped organize the event. It was sponsored by Student Congress, and she is one of the advisors. In order to be part of the event, interested students had to complete a form and names were randomly chosen. Some students were players, others were part of a knockout game. That’s a fast shooting contest. I was so excited to be part of the event that I decided to try my luck and submitted the form to be a scoreboard changer, but I did not get selected.
All Patrick M. Villano School students and staff walked to the nearby high school. The event lasted two hours. Students sat on the bleachers while the teachers who were playing sat in chairs.
The fourth grade players were the first to go up against the teachers. The final score of their game was 12 to 2 with the teachers winning. Finally, the game I was waiting for was fifth graders versus the teachers. As a fifth grader, I can definitely say that this was the most thrilling game as it ended with a final score of 28 for the students and 35 for the teachers.
Then, we witnessed the sixth graders going up against the teachers. At the end of the game, the students scored 32 points while the teachers scored 48 points.
When the games finished, students took shots. Those people who scored a basket won a $5 gift card for the school shopping store.
“It’s hard to pick my favorite part of the afternoon; the game itself was so much fun to watch and participate in, the knockout rounds were very competitive, a fifth grader made a half-court shot, and even the masked readers showed up. I can’t wait for next year’s game!” DeCarlo added.
Masked readers were teachers in disguise wearing inflatable costumes. They made a special appearance at the game, but were originally part of Read Across America week.
After the event was over, we all lined up to go back to Patrick M. Villano School. In conclusion, the March Madness game was a fun experience that allowed the students and teachers to show off their basketball skills and have fun. I’m already looking forward to next year’s game.
