What three teenage basketball players did for one of the cheerleaders of their team is melting hearts all over the country. Stepping in for someone who was made fun of turned into a lesson that we should all learn from.
High-school can be rough for many students. We’ve all been there, done that, and we are aware that issues such as bullying are always present and it looks like schools’ staff aren’t really doing much in order to put a stop to such behavior and protect the victims.
This time, however, students stepped in for a friend of theirs and wanted everyone to know that bullying wasn’t something they would tolerate.
Miles Rodriguez, Chase Vasquez, and Scooter Terrien from the Lincoln Middle School, Wisconsin, were in the middle of the game when they noticed how some rival fans made fun of one of the cheerleaders, a girl named Desiree Andrews. This made the three teens angry so they decided to stop the game and make sure no one picked on their friend Desiree, who goes by “D” and has Down Syndrome.
Speaking of the incident, Chase told Milwaukee news outlet, “The kids in the audience were picking on D, so we all stepped forward.”
Once the rest of the team saw what their fellow friends did, they all called a timeout and walked off the court.
“We were mad. We didn’t like that. We asked our sports director to talk to the people and tell them not to make fun of her,” 14-year-old Miles recalled.
Desiree is an awesome cheerleader who is always eager to give the players high-fives and fist-bumps as a sign of support.
This lovely girl fell in love in the idea of becoming a cheerleader after she saw a girl with Down Syndrome being one in her favorite TV show, “Glee.”
D’s father, Cliff Andrews, who couldn’t stop tears from rolling down his face when he learned what the players did for his girl and how they protected her, explained how the show influenced D’s decision to join the cheerleaders and how it boosted her self-esteem. She, on the other hand, said how the boys stepping up for her was “sweet, kind, awesome, amazing.”
Since the incident took place, the boys often walk D to class making sure she’s safe.
The school believes how the boys’ incredible act changed things so profoundly that now bullying is almost completely reduced and everyone is speaking about inclusion and doing kindness. This story influenced many teenagers from all over the country to become better people and respect their peers.
Lincoln Middle School went a step further and did something worth all the praise. Namely, they named the gym ‘D’s House’, after sweet Desiree and that name stands for friendship.
Athletic Director Timothy Nieman was deeply touched by the gesture that he hanged a banner with the new title and said, “This is what standing up, being a true team, not only a basketball team but a team of people that are going to support somebody.”
Scooter later said, “It’s not fair when other people get treated wrong, because we’re all the same. We’re all created the same; God made us the same way.” Honestly, we can’t agree more and we are glad such young kids understand what it means not to let others get hurt for who they are.