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| Athletic
Teams of the early 70s, MVRHS, Oak Bluffs |
In 1999, the Heritage Trail
History Project dedicated the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School
as a site on the Heritage Trail.
A plaque in the main foyer honors the achievements of the school
basketball teams of the early 1970's. These teams had been highly
successful and were drawn from every Island ethnic community. Basketball
has been an important part of interethnic communication on the Island
and the basketball courts in Oak Bluffs have for many years been
the scene for kids from all ethnic communities to play ball together
and build relationships.
The suggestion for this plaque had come from the island community
and its installation generated both interest and controversy. The
former Martha's Vineyard Regional High School principal, Dr. Gregory
Scotten, supported the notion of honoring the teams that had brought
distinction to the school, particularly since the players represented
the Vineyard's diverse ethnic communities.
Some suggested that the appropriate place for the plaque was the
school's athletic area, but only the athletes use this area of the
school building and such a distant placement was not acceptable
to the board of the Heritage Trail History Project.
The board felt that the plaque should be displayed in the main entrance
hall of the school in a place of distinction among the school's
many honors where it could be seen by everyone who entered the building.
The most important consideration was the prominent placement of
the various Vineyard family names whose accomplishments and histories
would never again fade from memory. In this way two of the most
important aspects of the Heritage Trail's mission could be realized:
restoring the lost histories and recording the undocumented achievements
of our community. The list of family names on the plaque is now
a point of interest for students who take pride in identifying their
family members.
Amaury Bannister and Ronald Brown, two African Americans former
student who had played with great distinction for the team, dedicated
the plaque.
At the reception following the dedication, Lester Baptiste, one
of the former athletes whose name is inscribed spoke briefly:
"This plaque means a lot to me. All of our names are on it,
and we are not the kind of people who get our names on plaques.
I will never forget this." |
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