Midnight Basketball in the Bud

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Red Bud High School hosted its first Midnight Basketball tournament. Although it is new to the school, the program started in the 1980s in Maryland. It all started when drugs began to ravage the state. Lawmakers looked for an answer to the growing issue and turned to basketball. From 10 P.M. to 2 A.M. teenagers of all backgrounds could come to play basketball. This turned them away from drugs and gang-related activities, at an hour when crime was the highest. The program was found to be highly effective. In fact, the LA Times reported a 100% drop in drug-related crimes during the hours Midnight Basketball was active.  Soon, Midnight Basketball was growing. It spread to cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Midnight Basketball collapsed due to aimless political disputes in the mid-1990s. However, Midnight Basketball saw a resurgence in 2019 when cities across the nation began to revamp their Midnight Basketball program. This idea inspired the leadership group that attended Eastern Illinois University for a youth leadership conference. The group decided Midnight Basketball could be highly effective in our community and with the help of Mrs. Legendre, Mr. Guehne, Mr. McClellan, and Mrs. Zipfel, the program was implemented. The first tournament was highly successful with nearly 100 students from grades 7-12 attending. Due to the success of the first tournament, the group is planning to host another tournament later this month.