Boston Celtics Player, Mascot Visit Cheshire Elementary School

Representatives for champion Celtics, including Leon Powe and Lucky the mascot, arrived at Cheshire School for the unveiling of the new computer lab. See more photos here.

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Former Celtics player Leon Powe along with mascot "Lucky" the Leprechaun celebrated with Cheshire Elementary School during the unveiling of the new technology lab.

Last spring, Cheshire Elementary pupils wrote letters to various New England sports teams explaining the need for technology in the school.

These letters grabbed the attention of the Boston Celtics who, with Southern New Hampshire University, updated the technology lab with 30 new laptops, two televisions, desktop computers, digital cameras, new furniture, and of course green walls with Boston Celtics graphics. 

Principal Peter Bachli welcomed the Celtics and Southern New Hampshire University to the school's gymnasium Monday to celebrate the new state of the art technology lab and thanked the students for writing such great letters.

"I have the honor to be here as your principal and tell you how proud I am with the work you did and how it paid off because the biggest pay off is that new technology lab," Bachli said.

Dave Hoffman, director of community relations for the Boston Celtics, agreed with Bachli and said even though the computer lab is Celtics green, it belongs to the school.

"You are going to have an opportunity to get to know that technology lab really well over the course of the next several years," Hoffman said. "It looks like a Celtics technology lab, but its a Cheshire and Celtics technology lab."

Southern New Hampshire Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing Gregg Mazzola said, along with the Celtics, the university has been upgrading computer labs throughout New England. He said they have helped five schools and Cheshire is his favorite.

"The reason we do this is because it allows you ... the opportunity to go online and check out all kinds of things that maybe you didn't have access to before," Mazzola said. "Hopefully, they can open up whole new world for you."

Former Celtics player Leon Powe, who played with the Celtics from 2008 to 2011 and was part of the 2008 championship team, urged the pupils to work hard in school.

He said he struggled in high school and worked hard to overcome challenges. After receiving a D average, he said he was not eligible to play basketball in high school.

"I let my team down, I let my family down, and I let myself down because I wasn't working hard and I wasn't paying attention in the classroom," Powe said.

After pledging to work harder, he was able to bring his grade average up and improve his basketball skills. He was named a first-team Parade All-American and the Gatorade California Player of the Year during his senior year and received a full college scholarship.

"I had to believe in it, and I had to believe in myself," Powe said. "I had people telling me I wasn't going to get into college ... and a lot of people told me what I couldn't do and I didn't believe them. I said I can do anything I put my mind to and that's what you guys can do."

Powe gives the kids a pep talk about doing well in school.

Hoffman said the students of Cheshire Elementary had a lot in common with Powe because they, too, were able to overcome challenges.

"Last year you flooded our mailboxes with these letters ... with what you needed in your school," Hoffman said. "You said 'I am not going to let anything get in our way' and you found a way to get it done. So that's is why this technology lab is in your school."

He the student's letters were scanned and inlayed in the "Cheshire" graphic on the wall of the lab.

Hoffman added that there are many ways to have a career in sports and students may find something they love that is not on the field or court.

After propelling off a trampoline and dunking a basketball, mascot Lucky reaffirmed this and said as a gymnast with the Celtics, he gets to "jump on a trampoline all over the world."

He also stressed the importance of education and working hard to achieve goals.

"Your teachers, your parents, your friends and all of the material that you are provided with here at the school are great resources to help you get on that path," he said. "Maybe that path leads you to the NBA, maybe it leads you to being a teacher, maybe it leads you to being mascot. Whatever it is that's OK as long as you remember you have to give to everything you can every single day."

After this, Lucky gracefully ended the celebration by jumping over Bachli and dunking another basketball. 

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