On the morning of Tuesday November 16, 2021, SCHMS students gathered inside of the school gymnasium to hear the story of a one-armed, former Division 1 basketball player who overcame the greatest of obstacles to achieve his goals. His name is Kevin Atlas, a 6’11 man who defied all the odds and did what he wanted to in his life regardless of what others thought of him. During the assembly, Kevin introduced himself to the students and teachers in attendance and went on to highlight specific events and setbacks in his life and turned them into a lesson for us. He started off with a story about his youth and how he ended up with his physical condition to begin with. He also regaled us with tales from his grade school and early high school years. Kevin told us about how his peers often mocked him and his experience at school and elsewhere miserable for him. However, he was saved by the game of basketball as he finally found a passion that he could use to spend his downtime on. When he was in 7th grade, Kevin tried out for the basketball team, but this was soon cut short when his coach kicked him out of the gym and told him that basketball is a ‘’two-armed sport’’. Atlas did not give up because of this, as his next coach showed him how to embrace his short arm and use it as a force on the court. Kevin referred to his arm as a ‘’nub’’, as it is very short and powerful when used as a tool to defer defenders in the game. This worked as Kevin gradually improved his game at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, California. Shot-blocking became his speciality and he began to gain mass popularity for his courage and determination when many thought it was impossible for him to ever be successful in the game. So much so that the White House informed him the President of the United States George W Bush took the time to fly to California to meet with Kevin in his senior year. This was an awesome moment for him to have the privilege and honor to meet the POTUS and enabled him to conquer anything he ever did from that point forward. Kevin went on to attend Manhattan College and have a successful 4-year career there playing basketball. Afterwards, Atlas went on to become a professional speaker to hundreds of high schools across the country to make sure that their experience in school and life is better than what he had in his youth. In addition to his domestic speaking, Atlas has entertained audiences in Africa, Europe, and Asia. A few of the messages he touched us with were:
Love yourself even when nobody else does
Take risks even if you fail
Believe in yourself in everything you do
Be kind to others
Don’t bother about what others think of you
Make high school a peaceful and supportive environment.
Harsh Patel, Journalism