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Assembly combines basketball and bullying
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Jim Basketball Jones performed his favorite trick, signing a basketball with a spinning basketball balanced on the edge of his pen, at Austintown Middle School Feb. 11.
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Jim Basketball ones (back) prepared to perform a trick using an Austintown Middle School student, gatorage, and a spinning basketball Feb. 11.
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Jim Basketball Jones (back) is shown performing a trick with an Austintown Middle School student for an anti-bully assembly Feb. 11.
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Neighbors | Natalie Scott.Jim Basketball Jones (left) balanced a spinning basketball on one student's forehead at the Austintown Middle School anti-bully assembly Feb. 11.
By NATALIE SCOTT
Austintown Middle School received a visit from Jim Basketball Jones Feb. 11 for an assembly on anti-bullying and cyber bullying, character development, and making healthy life choices.
Jones, who has given more than 5,000 assemblies over the past 15 years, used basketball tricks, like balancing spinning balls on students’ fingers, heads, and noses, along with jokes and encouragement to talk about stopping bullies in their tracks and having self-confidence.
“You can’t stop people from saying mean things about you,” said Jones. “You can’t control what they do. But you can control what you do and how you act. Remember, what other people say isn’t a reflection of you – it’s a reflection of them.”
Jones also rewarded good character by picking students from the crowd who were seated with their hands raised straight up in the air. He gave each student who participated a Jim Basketball Jones pencil and only one student from that group said “thank you.” To that student, Jones also gave a signed basketball.
Jones also encouraged good character by telling jokes and having students repeat after him. Jones asked students to repeat things like, “knowledge isn’t power unless you use it” and “I am a reflection of my choices. My choices are my life. I had better think about the choices I make.”
Jones offers assemblies to elementary, middle, high school, and college students with different content that relates to each group. For more information, visit www.jimbasketballjones.com.