The students of Laurel Hill Elementary School in Lorton put their ideas together to win the “Court of Creativity,” contest that involves basketball, creativity and the Harlem Globetrotters. On Monday, June 3, the Globetrotters came out to the school to present the award in person, along with the trick basketball antics that have made them famous over the last 100 years.

According to the contest parameters, each entry demonstrated the power of collaboration, creativity, and sportsmanship. The students are glad to have learned these qualities with the project.

High fives for all. 

 

The Laurel Hill students let loose on their video with fancy dribbling, long shots and even the old bucket full of shredded paper splashed at the camera, like it was water – a traditional gag the Globetrotters have used through the years. In the end, Laurel Hill Elementary School was named Grand Prize Winner in this year's creativity contest. “Court of Creativity,” encourages students at elementary schools to share how they can be creative in a way that combines education the Harlem Globetrotters and Jersey Mike's Subs, the corporate message read. They all feasted on Jersey Mike’s food too.

The music on the video was “Sweet Georgia Brown,” a classic tune the Globetrotters have used through the years while they spin the ball on one finger, dribble through the legs, and make unbelievable shots from just about anywhere on the court. It’s an old jazz song dating back to 1925 that came out right before the Globetrotters were formed a year later and it seems to have stuck.

In 1926, The Harlem Globetrotters basketball team surprisingly won the World Basketball Championship in 1940 by beating the Chicago Bruins so people started taking them seriously. In 1948 and 1949, the Globetrotters went on to beat the World Champion Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA. The legendary Wilt Chamberlain, a basketball Hall of Famer, played a full season with the Globetrotters in 1958-59. In the 1970s a Saturday morning cartoon show was based on the Globetrotters. Off the court, the organization remains steadfast in its commitment to be "Ambassadors of Goodwill," and their visit to Laurel Hill expressed that attitude.