Gonzaga star Watson brings holiday cheer to local elementary school
Willard Elementary students got a fun surprise Friday with a second visit this school year from Gonzaga basketball star Anton Watson.
He was there to give fifth -grader Ezekiel Avila a signed practice jersey and a Gonzaga basketball.
“It was a very important day for me; I will remember it for the rest of my life,” a delighted Avila said. “This was seriously a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Avila rejoiced for the remainder of the school day as his expectations were more than met by a player who inspires him. He was also appreciative of school volunteer Chauncy Welliver for setting everything up .
“Zeke is never going to forget that. For a young kid, that is a core memory,” Welliver said. “Zeke’s a sweet kid. His reaction was so genuine; it was beautiful. I love a natural reaction.”
Watson strolled the elementary school hallways, happy to interact with each young, excited face. Watson stopped inside every classroom within the school.
“Meeting the young Gonzaga fans means a lot to me; I love seeing the smiles on their faces,” Watson said. “As a kid, these are moments you will remember forever. I hope I can brighten these kids’ days and give them a present right before Christmas.”
Watson said he appreciated Welliver’s efforts to give students something to look forward to.
Welliver said he loves to help students at the school with specific personal needs and is proactive in improving certain facets of students’ lives.
“I don’t do this for a pat on the back or for the pay,” Welliver said. “I do it for the kids. Hopefully, we can inspire other schools to follow in our footsteps.”
“Chauncy is amazing; he looks out for each and every one of these kids here and creates so many opportunities for these kids to be successful.” said Jeanette Frank, Avila’s teacher. “These kids see him, and you would think John Lennon just walked into the building 50 years ago.”
Similar to how much they appreciate Welliver, the faculty at Willard had nothing but kind words to say about Watson’s efforts to make it to the school and interact with students.
“Whenever we have anybody that our kids can look up to, it is an incredible experience for our kids,” said Melisa Milholland, principal assistant at the school. “Especially going into the holiday break, having a superstar basketball player come in here shows our students what they can aspire to be and work toward their unique personal goals, When we have Gonzaga players coming out and recognizing our elementary students, it shows the students that they belong to something bigger than Willard and that there’s a large group of people who care about them and their futures.”
“This wouldn’t have been possible without the effort and support of Ms. Frank,” Welliver said. “People need to know that there is good. There is a teacher who cares and is available to reach out to.”
It was difficult for Frank not to become emotional as she witnessed the rejoicing her classroom experienced due to Watson.
Avila’s goal – like that of many fifth -grade boys – is to one day play in the NBA.
“I love basketball,” he said. “Anton seems like a very nice and supportive person. When I talked with Anton, it made me want to keep pushing through life and try to reach my goal.”