Peggy McEwan/The Gazette Lenny Myers is a physical education teacher at Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School and runs the company, Reach Beyond Basketball.

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Peggy McEwan/The Gazette Lenny Myers is a physical education teacher at Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School and runs the company, Reach Beyond Basketball.

 

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Lenny Myers was interviewed Friday, July 1, at Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School, Silver Spring.

You came to my attention through an email from your mother about the organization you started: Reach Beyond Basketball. But before we talk about that, tell me about your work at Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School.

I am going into my fourth year teaching, all here. I teach P.E. and am the boys basketball coach and athletic coordinator.

Lee is the perfect fit for me. Our principal [Joe Rubens] and I have a lot of the same philosophy. We both feel the most important thing in teaching is building relationships. Once you have a relationship with a kid, they listen more. They are more open-minded to what you have to say, which makes it easier to teach information.

Why did you select middle school?

I selected the middle school age because in physical education that is the age when they are introduced to a lot of sports and activities, sports they can go into in high school or recreationally for life. It is where you can make an impact, they are being introduced to new things.

Now tell me about Reach Beyond Basketball, how did that get started?

A group of friends and I started doing free basketball clinics for boys where we live in the Gaithersburg/Germantown area. Parents saw we were doing a good job so they asked us and we started doing one-on-one training. When I became a teacher I became a mentor to many of these kids [at Lee] and combined mentoring with basketball and got the concept of Reach Beyond Basketball.

Is that because you saw the need for kids to be more than just good basketball players?

Yes, I got the concept of Reach Beyond Basketball because I want them to reach beyond what is easy and comfortable in order to reach their full potential in basketball, the classroom and life.

I have four concepts I use as teaching points, the four C’s: Confidence, Commitment, Character and Consistency. If you have those you can be successful.

Have you worked with anyone long enough to see that bear fruit?

Yes, I coached one kid who had the four C’s in basketball. He was always in the gym working but he had problems in the classroom. His problem was math. So I told him he works over and over in the gym on basketball skills, he [also] has to do math problems over and over.

Did it work out? Do you think he connected what you were teaching regarding basketball to class?

I think he does because of the results. He knows that to have a good shot you have to do it over and over. Before he would do a problem and give up, but he started doing problems over and over and didn’t give up and his grades got better. He is still in high school and I talked to his math teacher. She said he comes in for help at lunch and really works. He’s come a long way in math.

How many kids do you work with outside of school?

In Reach Beyond Basketball we had a spring break camp of about 40 kids. That was our first program.

Are you incorporated?

Yes, we are a company.

Do the kids pay for camp?

I make sure it is the cheapest camp in the area. It’s $125 per week. It’s full-day, 9 a.m. to 3:30. We also work with organizations like Linkages to Learning [a nonprofit that provides services to at-risk children and their families] to identify kids who need camp and we offer scholarships. I think all kids can benefit from the four Cs. that’s why we have such a wide range of kids at camp.

What are the dates of your summer camps?

This is our first summer. We have two weeks scheduled at Wheaton High School, July 11-15 and July 25-29. There is more information on our website: www.reachbeyondbasketball.com.

What do you offer besides basketball?

One thing that makes our camp different is we have guest speakers from the community talk about their occupations, what makes them successful, the adversity they had to overcome. Everyone has their own story of success. The kids like the stories.

What is your story?

I had to work hard to get the things I accomplished. I got cut from the team in high school. All the way up to senior year I kept working, I really wanted to play high school basketball. I really wanted to play college ball and that’s not likely if you don’t play high school. I made the team my senior year and I did play in college.

That story gives hope to a lot of the kids because more people get cut than make the team.

Some of the people who come and speak with the kids are my friends. We all wanted to be successful, we pushed each other. I tell the kids I was lucky to grow up with a strong group of friends. I tell the kids it’s important to choose the people you hang out with. You hang out with people who don’t want to be successful, it’s easier to follow that path.

I want to emphasize hard work and bring that concept back. I think in today’s society, with technology, it’s so easy to get information. While it’s definitely a good tool to have, I feel it devalues the concept of hard work.

Do you play basketball for fun?

Yes! Yes, I do. Me and the same guys I grew up with, we still get together and play. We are in men’s leagues, one in Falls Church, Va., and one in Montgomery County. It’s a lot of fun. I tell the kids a lot of sports you really can’t play by yourself, like tennis, but basketball you can.

What do you see for your future?

I love teaching and I love Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School, so I can see myself staying here a long time. I love teaching physical education. I consider it very important. There is a lot of emphasis on math and English but what good does it do you if you don’t live long enough to use those? Physical fitness is important.

As far as Reach Beyond Basketball, I’m talking to some organizations that offer after school programs, I’d like to have a youth league.

As a long-term goal my dream is to have a facility where kids could come after school and play basketball, get help with homework, have mentors to talk to, a safe environment. If you are here, you are not out there where there are a lot of temptations.

What do you think kids need most now?

I think it’s just guidance because many things you assume kids know or should know they just don’t. Like being appropriate, that’s where character comes in.

Are you hopeful for the kids?

I am very hopeful. They are good kids. They have good hearts. They want to learn but it’s a different generation so you have to find different ways to teach them.

How about girls, do you work with them?

I find most of the demand is for boys but I am working with some girls as a [basketball] tutor.

The camp is for boys but I hope we can expand to meet the needs of girls. I want to reach out to everyone.

“Voices in Education” is a twice-monthly feature that highlights the men and women who are involved with the education of Montgomery County’s children. To suggest someone you would like to see featured, email Peggy McEwan at pmcewan@gazette.net.