ABIS students and teachers to face-off on court

Annual game benefits the Carol Caliguari Memorial Scholarship Fund.

By: Donna Lukiw
   It’s shaping up to be one of the classic hoops grudge matches: Knicks vs. Celtics, Magic vs. Bird, faculty vs. Alexander Batcho Intermediate School students.
   The fifth annual student vs. faculty charity basketball game will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Manville High School, and features teams made up of staff from Roosevelt Elementary School and ABIS against students from the seventh and eighth-grade school teams.
   Jim Brunn, principal of ABIS, said he’s preparing for the game by running — "to the store for some Bengay and aspirin."
   Still he’s confident the faculty will prevail in Friday’s game. "I feel sorry for our competition," Dr. Brunn said. "Especially after I perform a slam dunk."
   The students, who were the victors in last year’s matchup, say they have the edge.
   "I think that they (the teachers) are just too confident because they have the height on us," eighth-grader Matt Veglatte said. "But they don’t have the skills — they’re old and slow."
   "The teachers squeaked by with wins the first three contests, but were burned last year by the hot outside shooting of various students," fourth-grade teacher Greg Shannon said. "Therefore, in an effort to reverse this trend, the students and teachers are practicing each day after school for two weeks in an effort to get into game shape.
   "The teachers are feeling confident, but not overly so, due to what happened during last year’s game," he added.
   Eighth-grader Richie Kloskowski was confident of a student victory.
   "They’re horrible," Richie said about the teachers. "We’re gonna score on them and everything. The students are ready to kill the teachers. There’s no competition."
   Such fighting words are usually saved until the last game of an NBA conference playoff series, or the NCAA Final Four — but they’re just the opening shots for this grudge match.
   Roosevelt Elementary School Principal Michael Magliacano, who will be playing on the faculty team, said he is excited to play.
   "The students have a great time and it’s a lot of fun participating," Mr. Magliacano said. "I am predicting a win by the staff."
   Although the staff is hoping for the best for the student team, they’ll have their games faces on Friday night.
   "I’m looking forward to the game, it’s always fun and exciting," Erin Delaney, ABIS special education teacher said. "But, the faculty are ready to take back the title as champs."
   Kyle Rehrig, Bill Kurzius, Amy Dickinson and April Stone are also playing on the faculty team on Friday and 13 boys and 12 girls will be playing on the student team.
   The tickets will cost $3 and proceeds will benefit the Carol Caliguari Memorial Scholarship Fund. This foundation was started in honor of Ms. Caliguari, a teacher at the school who died in 2004. The money raised goes to a college scholarship fund for Manville High School students who want to pursue a degree in education.