Markeshia Ricks Photo
Alder Staggers with four of the five graduating Lady Blazers
They’ve been playing basketball as Lady Blazers since they were 7 years old, and now some of them are all grown up and off to college.
Graduating high school members of the Lady Blazers, an Amateur Athletic Union girls basketball program in New Haven, were recognized for their dedication to basketball and their academic achievement at the Board of Alders meeting Monday night. The program counts new WNBA star Bria Holmes as one of its alumna.
Five of the team members are graduating from high school and going on to play basketball at the collegiate level. Those players are:
• Cayla Staggers, who is graduating from Hillhouse High School with a 3.6 GPA. She will attend Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.
• Breion Knox, who is graduating from Career High School with a 3.8 GPA. She also is attending Fairleigh Dickinson.
• Allegra Jones, who is graduating from Hillhouse High School with a 3.8 GPA. She will attend Mitchell College in New London.
• Kayla Weaver, who is graduating from Kolbe-Cathedral in Bridgeport with a 3.96 GPA. She is the class valedictorian and she is headed to Emmanuel College in Boston.
• Camille Staggers, who is graduating from Hillhouse High School with a 3.4 GPA. She is headed to Mitchell College in New London.
Hillhouse senior Allegra Jones is headed to Mitchell College in the fall.
West Rock Alder Carlton Staggers recognized the young women for their achievements, but also all the of the adults — the coaches, trainers, parents and friends — who supported them along the way. Staggers is one of those supporters. He’s served as a coach and he also happens to be dad to Cayla and Camille.
“Special thanks to the parents and friend for the money and the traveling and the commitment to these girls, excuse me, these young ladies, it all paid off,” he said. “This is one thing I said when I became and alderman — when I miss the meetings this is what I was doing. This is what I support. This is what I was doing. It paid off in partial and full scholarships, everything. And it worked out well.”
I'm glad to see that a combination of academics and athletics is being celebrated here. Studies have shown that girls who participate in sports are more likely to succeed in other areas and less likely to be victims of domestic violence. And, of course, the academic achievements speak for themselves.
Good Job, young ladies. And much success in your future endeavors.
The Rev. Mr. Samuel T. Ross-Lee