🏀🎉 About 4,500 BCS students from dozens of schools filled the stands and brought a buzz of energy to Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Asheville last week during the SoCon Women’s Basketball tournament.
Friday’s matchup between Wofford and UNCG (the eventual champion), started with Charles T. Koontz Intermediate School students singing the national anthem. During halftime, Mix 96.5 hosts surprised North Windy Ridge Intermediate School math teacher Marilynn Whitcher as their teacher of the month. Over both Thursday and Friday, SoCon officials recognized Enka Intermediate School students who participated in a cover design contest for the tournament program. Fifth grader Natalie Snyder was the overall winner while sixth graders Aaliyah Yelton and Evie Ro were runners up.
“The SoCon Basketball Tournament has been a proud part of the Asheville community for many years, and Buncombe County Schools has fostered a strong relationship with this event over time,” said BCS Transportation Director Jeremy Stowe, whose department managed the logistics of bringing so many students safely to and from the arena.
“Attending the tournament gives our students a front-row seat to the excitement of college athletics as March Madness begins,” Stowe added. “More than just a game, it’s an opportunity for the students to witness high-level competition, experience the energy of a collegiate environment, and envision the possibilities that lie ahead in their own futures.”