Scarborough’s silver
When Scarborough native Shelley-Ann Brown leapt to the second-place Olympic podium Wednesday night to deafening roars from the crowd, halfway across the country the students at her former elementary school were celebrating the silver medal as if they had won it themselves.
“Just knowing that she’s in the Olympics and she came from our school, it’s really inspiring,” said Seeta Persaud, 13. “It makes me think I can do anything. I think it made everyone of us feel special.”
Scarborough Village Public School, a K-8 school with less than 200 students, has been rooting for Brown all year.
The students took up their homegrown hero’s cause through the “adopt-an-athlete” program, which pairs schools with Olympic athletes to aid in fundraising efforts.
The students have been selling reusable water bottles and caramel corn, raising more than $1,000 to offset some of Brown’s training costs.
The 29-year-old visited the school in December during a trip home, showing them the ins and outs of her unique sport.
“She even showed us her muscles,” said Kristy-Ann Pope, 12.
“She was like a bodybuilder,” added Carly Bruce, 14. “It’s amazing to think that she used to walk in these halls.”