Washington Wizards forward Anthony Gill at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School on Aug. 23, 2024. (Staff photo by James Cullum)
Students at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School on August 23, 2024. (Staff photo by James Cullum)
Washington Wizards mascot G-Wiz signs a jersey at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School in Alexandria on Aug. 23, 2024. (Staff photo by James Cullum)
ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt with G-Wiz, the Washington Wizards mascot, at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School on Aug. 23, 2024. (Staff photo by James Cullum)
A student at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School gets his face painted, Aug. 23, 2024. (Staff photo by James Cullum)
Washington Wizards forward Anthony Gill and his wife, Jenna, at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School on Aug. 23, 2024. (Staff photo by James Cullum)
Two hundred backpacks were donated by the Washington Wizards to students at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School in Alexandria’s West End on August 23, 2024. (Staff photo by James Cullum)
Washington Wizards forward Anthony Gill handed out 200 filled backpacks to fourth and fifth graders Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School in Alexandria’s West End this afternoon.
The event is one among many others from the team owner Monumental sports and entertainment was part of a regional distribution to schools in DC, Maryland and Virginia. In Alexandria, Tucker students also received a free MahoganyBooks book, a Wizards t-shirt and an autographed card.
Gill said he got to where he is because of his good grades at school.
“Listen to your teachers,” said Gill, who was joined by his wife, Jenna. “Respect them. Always be willing to learn something new and be a good… At the end of the school year, we’ll see how great you were. Maybe Jen and I will come back at the end of the school year and see how the school year ended.”
Wizards guard Jordan Poole also handed out backpacks and books at Stanton Elementary School in Southwest D.C., and guard Bub Harrington handed out backpacks at a basketball camp in Baltimore.
Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He started with ALXnow in 2020 and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative reporting to feature stories and photo galleries. His reporting includes coverage of domestic and international situations, as well as the White House, the Capitol, the Pentagon, the Supreme Court and the State Department. He has also covered protests and riots across the United States (including the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ravaged Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.
