Harlem To Harvey, Globetrotters Visit Meyerland Elementary Students

MEYERLAND, TX — The Harlem Globetrotters have long been known to bring joy and smiles to the faces of young kids. Two of the players from the world-famous basketball team brought just that to the Shlenker School, which is the new home to more than 300 students displaced from three different schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey's destruction.

Harlem Globetrotters forward Alexander 'Moose' Weekes and guard Flip White paid the youngsters a visit this week, showing off some smooth basketball moves, ball spinning and even a few dance steps. They also called for student and teacher volunteers to promote the "C.H.E.E.R. for Character" program.

C.H.E.E.R. stands for Cooperation, Healthy mind and body, Effort, Enthusiasm and Responsibility. As Houston recovers from the Harvey — a storm that flooded Houston with up to 50 inches of rain in some areas — the Globetrotters chatted with the children about using the C.H.E.E.R. in such times of need.

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Houston NBC affiliate Click2Houston visited the school program and caught up with Moose Weekes and a few teachers.

"The parents are usually the ones that bear most of the burden, but the kids don't know what's going on. Some can't even go back to their schools which is why we're here," Weeks told the TV station. "We really want to help these kids know you're doing a great job just being a kid."

Students displaced from damaged schools include more than 180 from Beth Yeshurun Day School, 70 from Bertha Alyce Early Childhood Education School and 60 from the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston students. The Shlenker School and Congregation Beth Israel welcomed the new faces with open arms.

"We lost supplies. We lost furniture. We lost a lot of memories that we had there," said Cindy Kirsch, the assistant head of school at Beth Yeshurun, which took on 8 inches of water, ruining the floors that now have to be redone.

The congregation room has been divided into 12 separate classrooms by wall dividers, and 180 total students have occupied the now-crowded space.

There's one room for the youngest kids ‚ some as young as 15-month-olds — and another space for the kindergarten classrooms.

"Our first through fifth grade is being generously accommodated on The Emery/Weiner School’s campus. We have combined our classrooms and have the teachers co-teaching to the large classes averaging 24 kids each, compared to our usual 12 students per class. Our CDO (15 months) through Kindergarten grades have been moved over to the Congregation Beth Israel and The Shlenker School campus. [Age] 2’s through Pre-K are partitioned in one large room in the synagogue side of campus, with our CDO program in the synagogue youth lounge. The Shlenker School also offered their technology lab for our combined kindergarten classes," said Erica Goldberg with BYDS.

BYDS is seeking any and all kinds of donations. To donate go to http://www.byds.org or call Guido Setton, director of developmen,t or Erica Goldberg, director of marketing and communications at 713-666-1884.

The Bertha Alyce school also seeks donations. There are different ways to help. First is the school's wishlist on Amazon. Second is to send an email to fcasell@erjcchouston.org, or you can send a donation to 5601 S. Braeswood, Houston, Texas, 77096 to the attention of Bertha Alyce School F. Cassell.

Image: Alexander 'Moose' Weekes #45 of the Harlem Globetrotters performs before an exhibition game against the World All-Stars at the Thomas & Mack Center on February 12, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images