Littlest fans, teachers rally for Super Bowl champs at Ocean City Primary School
OCEAN CITY – There is no proof that the energy at Ocean City Primary School Friday afternoon lifted the Philadelphia Eagles to victory Sunday over the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, but why not consider it a contributing factor?
The staff and Ocean City’s littlest students did their part for the Eagles fanbase to cheer on their NFL team to an overwhelming 40-22 win over the defending Super Bowl champions.
School Principal Dr. Cathleen Smith, wearing Eagles gear like most of the staff and students, was thrilled with the rally.
“It was amazing. We have an amazing staff that comes together and puts fun things on for kids. For example, I have a dog mask. A few minutes before the rally I go to coach (Daniel) Calhoun and said, ‘How much do you love working here? I need you to put this dog mask on.’ We do anything for the kids.”
Calhoun obliged, helping emcee the event.
There were Eagles videos, a trivia quiz and an obstacle course for teams of teachers to run to simulate football training in front of the student body.
“When we were having our staff obstacle course, we didn’t tell them ahead of time. They are called out and they come out and they just do it for the kids. The kids had a great time,” Smith said.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christian Angelillo joined the fun, coming in near the end of the rally decked out in Eagles gear and dancing with teacher and emcee Carrie Merritt.
“It’s a lifetime of work, really, a lifetime of dancing efforts along the way,” Angelillo said of his entrance into the rally.
“I like to think that everything I do, that my moves, are fairly original, a little bit of waiting for the bus, the lawnmower,” he added, laughing.
Angelillo said the pep rally for the Eagles was “outstanding. School pride is alive and well here in Ocean City so it’s wonderful for the kids and staff.”
“Everyone is going to go home with a whistle for every time the Eagles score,” Smith added. “We just continue what we do here and bring it home so our parents are getting those whistles and they can experience what we experience here to keep the fun going,” Smith said.
As the rally wrapped up, the principal asked the students not to blow the whistles again until they got home.
So how tough is it for little kids to not blow the whistles tempting them in their little hands?
“Well, as you saw, it was difficult, so I’m crossing my fingers so the bus drivers don’t write letters about me,” Smith said, laughing. “I’m hoping they get home without blowing the whistles, but we knew what was going to happen and hopefully it’s all for fun.”
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
