Here is a round of applause for Haverhill High School Athletic Director Garin Veris and the leadership of Team Haverhill, who took an idea from the Jan. 25 Possible Dreams event and made it come true an astonishing eight days later.
Veris stood up during Possible Dreams to ask for more support and excitement surrounding Haverhill High athletics.
Before the week was out, Veris and Team Haverhill had planned Tuesday night's Hillie Pride Night.
Team Haverhill stepped up with a financial donation to have T-shirts printed with the words "Hillie Pride" to be given to the first 400 students to show up at the game.
Veris lowered ticket prices for students to just $1, organized some activities for half-time and got the word out to the community.
The Gazette caught the spirit and had "cheer cards" printed to match the T-shirts, with the phrase "Hillie Pride" emblazoned on a gold background. One of the city's most civic-minded businesses, Pentucket Bank, covered the cost of the printing job.
The speed with which Veris and Team Haverhill turned thought to action helped to stir the excitement that Veris so desires for his athletes.
There were no subcommittees appointed to study the idea, no lengthy discussions about the best ways to plan the event.
As every athlete knows, momentum can make or break a team's effort. The momentum behind this effort was strong from the start and bodes well for continued success.
There is nothing like time to kill a good idea. Kudos to Veris and the Team Haverhill leaders who knew a good idea when they heard one and moved quickly to make it happen.
