“One more shot! One more shot!” could be heard coming from the gym at this year’s student-faculty basketball game halftime show on April 25. The gymnasium was packed with people, who each bought tickets for five dollars, making the total profits from the game well over 1000 dollars. The game itself was a rough game, and each side gave fouls and got fouled.

However, the roughness and intensity of the game was not the highlight; instead, freshman Kenny Dang, an autistic special needs student, was the star of the show. Dang made 20+ half court shots in warm-ups, and then another during the actual show, which featured three competitions, including the half court competition.

Dang is currently enrolled in the Special Education program in Ellen Ordonez’s class. “I was Kenny’s teacher at Thoreau Middle School, so I knew he could make these shots,” Ordonez said. “That’s why I went to Mrs. Dunning and asked if he could participate.”

All of Dang’s friends and teachers know that he can play basketball. “I once saw Kenny make 60 free throws in a row,” Ordonez said. Dang’s shooting did much more than give the students a good show. The students and teachers at the game, other than greatly enjoying Dang’s shooting, were brought together as a group by the amazing talent of one student.

“The students reacted well to Kenny’s half court shots, I think it really brought them together.” Special Education teacher Jeremiah Davis said. The students continued to cheer Dang on even after he had shot four shots. Dang had missed the first four shots, but not by much, each of them hitting the rim or backboard. Finally with loud cheers from the student body and the teachers, Dang made the fifth shot. The students and teachers were ecstatic.

“He was amazing,” senior Monte McCarthy said. McCarthy was a referee during the game. Dang’s shooting is one way to show how the smallest things can bring everyone together.

“Everybody has something to give, its just not always that obvious,” Ordonez said of her student.