Story of Hope & Perseverance

The crowd stood mesmerized as the ball soared through the night sky. It arrived gently in the hands of a Newtown High School wide receiver who scored as time expired to deliver a stunning state football championship for a town still deeply wounded.  

The holiday season remains a solemn time for the 28,000 residents of Newtown, Connecticut. It has been seven years since the horrific and unimaginable shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Many of the players on the Newtown High School football team attended Sandy Hook. The brother of the team’s star linebacker was a victim.

This championship – the school’s first in more than 25 years – ignited a sense of pride and perseverance in the Newtown community. Riley Ward, the player who caught the touchdown pass, told the Hartford Courant, “I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I love this town. I love everybody. I’m at a loss for words.”

For me, the story of Newtown High School’s victory is a reminder of hope. That even in such divisive times it is our ability to rise, to love everybody, that defines who we are.