addByline("Kelsey Keena","Celtics.com","Celtics");
CHARLESTOWN – During their first day as Celtics, Marcus Smart and James Young drove over the Zakim Bridge northbound towards Charlestown, Mass. Looking over their left shoulders the Celtics rookies took in their first view of the TD Garden, home of the Boston Celtics.
As the two pictured themselves surrounded by an arena of cheering fans they pulled up to a local elementary school for their first community appearance as Celtics players.
Since 2010, the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation (BCSF) has allocated a $50,000 grant to the current Celtics roster which collectively votes on a renovation project to benefit the surrounding Boston community. This season, players voted to renovate an educational space at Harvard-Kent Elementary school.
The funding was used to build a state-of-the-art technology lab complete with 30 new Mac Minis, a 70-inch TV with Apple TV connectivity, customized wall graphics and new furniture. Inked on the electric green graphics is the Harvard-Kent tenet of P.R.I.D.E (purpose, responsibility, individuality, determination and engagement) as a day-to-day reminder of the values upheld by Principal Jason Gallagher.
Although the final bell of the school year has already rung, marking the start of summer, 30 students from Harvard-Kent made an exception to attend school Monday morning for a chance to participate in the lab unveiling.
Being the first to get a glimpse of the new space, the youth entered in awe.
“This space is legit! I’m so happy right now,” one student exclaimed.
Fellow students nodded their heads in agreement as they spun around the room soaking it all in.
To tip off the unveiling, Smart and Young joined Celtics Director of Community Relations Dave Hoffman, BCSF Director Cindy Brennan and Principal Gallagher for opening remarks.
"I cannot thank the Celtics organization enough for this wonderful new lab," opened Gallagher. "We are looking forward to using the lab to ensure our students have access to the best technology available."
After a few words, the children were divided into four teams to compete in an online scavenger hunt. Smart’s team worked together to answer questions on the city of Boston, Young’s group studied the history of the Celtics, while the two other teams, captained by Brennan and Gallagher, researched first-round draft picks.
Following the competition, the students gathered to go over the correct answers. In reward for their hard work, Smart and Young agreed to give each student an autograph to take home.
Taking a moment to speak about the opportunities that lie ahead for the students, Smart explained how the Internet is a door to a world of endless possibilities.
“The society we live in today operates online, you can communicate with people from all around the world,” he said.
Young continued the pep talk, adding, “Have fun with it! Listen to your teachers; they will point you in the right direction."
With that, the students lined up to leave, giving thanks to those involved with the provision of the lab, before racing home to tell their fellow classmates about the new technology that will be present when they kick off the school year in the fall.
Smart and Young left their official first day as rookies with their heads held high knowing they had just done a small part to add to the legacy of the Boston Celtics.