On Wednesday, The Rock School donated a framed basketball jersey to Fire Station 80 to welcome them to the neighborhood while recognizing first responders of 9/11.
The station had a ribbon-cutting ceremony this past March to celebrate the opening of the new Alachua County Fire Station 80, which was exactly one year after a groundbreaking ceremony in March of 2023 when they officially started construction.
“We’ve been very excited to move in here and having the school right down the road has been very nice,” said Jennifer DiSanto, Captain of Recruitment and Public Education for Alachua County Fire Rescue. “It’s good for the kids and I think it’s good for the community. Having the jersey presented to us on 9/11 as we remember all the firefighters and everyone that perished during that event, so it has special meaning today.”
All three programs, girls varsity, boys varsity and the national boys basketball team, were in attendance, along with their coaches.
“I think it’s cool for our community to come together with the girls and boys program and it’s just cool to do things like this because it helps us communicate with each other and check in on everybody,” said Marlin Tyson, a junior on The Rock’s girls varsity basketball team.
Senior Malik Johnson read a letter that was addressed to Alachua County Fire Chief Harold Theus and the great firefighters of Station 80.
It read, “The Rock Basketball program, in partnership with The Rock School, is excited to officially welcome Fire Station 80 to our neighborhood. We recognize the tremendous sacrifices and rigorous demands that come with being a first responder, and we are deeply grateful for your unwavering service to our community. It’s truly a blessing to have you just down the road from our school.”
In fact, you could probably throw a rock from The Rock, they are that close to each other.
This was the first of six or seven community events that The Rock basketball program has planned for 2024-25.
“One of my roles at The Rock is to make sure the boys are well taken care of spiritually, mentally, and physically, but also trying to get them out in the community because at the end of the day a lot of people give back to student-athletes but I’m trying to teach them to give back to the community that gives back to them,” said Ryan Jones, the Director of Player Care for all boys teams.
As they marked the anniversary of 9/11, it was also a chance to teach the younger generation the impact it had and still has a total of 23 years later.
“It means a lot,” Jones said. “A lot of the kids they probably don’t know what happened on 9/11 but as adults and coaches we do so it’s another opportunity to educate them on what happened on 9/11 but also as coaches to give back.”
The letter that Johnson read went on to say, “May it [framed jersey] serve as a reminder of the respect and appreciation we hold for your service to our school, community, and nation. The bravery shown by first responders, both then and now, will never be forgotten.”
In addition to the presentation, the players and coaches also got a chance to talk with other firefighters and they received a tour of the new fire station located at 10180 SW 24th Ave.
“Thank God that we have an opportunity to do something like this,” said The Rock girls basketball coach Wes Phillips. “You remember all the ones that sacrificed, the first responders, spending that much time away from their families to help other families…this is something that should be done a little more often, just the recognition of our first responders, to come out and show our gratitude because these guys risk their life day in and day out.”