All the Christmas gifts in the world wouldn’t generate the kind of spontaneous joy that filled the gym at Heritage Woods secondary school Nov. 29 when student Reid Demelo sunk a three-pointer from just outside the paint.
The basketball game-ending buzzer sounded just as the shot crested its arc and, when the ball dropped through the hoop, jubilant fans and teammates rushed the floor with an ear-splitting roar, catching Demelo up in their warm embrace, and sending social media into a fury of excitement.
Demelo soon became a star as media outlets around the world carried the story.
Why is that?
It wasn’t just that the story was a good news break from Brexit, trade wars, climate change worries and more (read: Trump), or that Demelo, who has Down syndrome, did a rare thing. (Maybe not so rare: He has scored a number of baskets over the years and is a multi-sport athlete.)
What was so special is the students’ love for their classmate — and his for them — expressed in their outpouring of glee at his accomplishment, and Demelo’s own confidence, making the shot calmly during the closing seconds of the game.
No amount of teaching can bring about that kind of genuine love, though Heritage Woods deserves some credit. Demelo, a Grade 12 student, is so positive a force at his school that he engenders warm feelings among all he meets, according his coach.
This is the kind of world we want for our teens and one, it seems, they are able to create simply by being open to possibilities.
Parents and other adults are often angst-ridden about the ability of our young people to navigate an increasingly complex world, and we harp on their use of technology, their endless communicating via social media.
But it turns out our young people are much further along in their social and emotional learning than we give them credit for. They may be communicating using their smart phones but they also know how to be spontaneous and loving.
As we stress about the holiday season, polishing every surface, hovering over every pot in an attempt to make our holiday festivities perfect, we should spend a moment to be spontaneous and try to find a way to show love without obligation or expectation.
In fact, don’t worry about the details. Simply be genuine — just like Reid Demelo and his many friends at Heritage Woods.
Reid Demelo supported his @HWSSevents from the sidelines last year during the Provincial Championship. This year, he just sunk a three pointer at the Kodiak Classic.
— Vancouver Basketball (@VancouverBball) November 29, 2019
—#VancouverBasketball#GrowTheGame#CanadaBasketball
: Bar Stool Van (IG) pic.twitter.com/ld7LY63hmj
