School is officially back in session for students across the Dallas Independent School District! Monday morning, the Dallas Mavericks welcomed the Adelle Turner Elementary Tigers back to campus with an all-out celebration to get students, faculty, and staff excited for the upcoming school year.
For the fourth consecutive year, the Mavericks have sponsored Adelle Turner as part of the Mavs Take ACTION! program. 
Fifth graders all the way down to Pre-K students were greeted at early morning dropoffs by a welcoming party that included the Mavs ManiAACs, D-Town Crew, and Mascots Champ and MavsMan.
Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall was also on-site, keeping things lively with her dance moves while stuffing team-branded backpacks, and legendary shooting guard Rolando Blackman even strapped on a hairnet to lend a hand during breakfast distribution in the cafeteria.
Following a special edition of morning announcements that featured a shoutout from Marshall over the school-wide public-address system, students dispersed throughout the halls and into their classrooms.
“I love school,” said Marshall. “I miss it as a student, but I also miss it as a parent. I love the first day of school, the fresh start, and the whole education experience.”
Principal Natalie Crittendon shared that Adelle Turner’s theme for the year is “leveling the playing field” by ensuring all the students in Tiger Nation are reading at their grade level.
With a high percentage of low-income students, the South Oak Cliff school relies heavily on the Mavericks as a support system by partnering on programs that expand far beyond the first day of school.
“Being here today actually has nothing to do with creating little basketball fans,” said Marshall. “It does because they see the mascots and our logo, but we are here because we’re trying to make a difference in people’s lives.
“We’re here alongside the kids, the faculty, the staff, the amazing principal who is celebrating her 30 years in education today, and the parents to send a message that education is important. We’re part of the community, and this is our way to give back, so we adopted this school along with a few others, and we’re here to say the Mavs are with you on this journey.”
Outside the fourth annual first-day celebration, the Mavericks have impacted the Adelle Turner community through numerous avenues, including educational programming assistance, monetary donations, coaching the basketball team, founding a mentorship program, and even starting a Girl Scouts troop.
“The support is never-ending,” said Crittendon. “I can reach out to Ms. Cynt and the Dallas Mavericks organization, and whatever need we have, the organization fills that for us. The partnership between Adelle Turner and the Dallas Mavericks organization is so strong that I never want it to end because they do such a great job working with my scholars.”
Before heading to a pep rally at Senator Royce West Leadership Academy to round out Monday morning’s activities, Marshall and Blackman popped into a few classrooms to extend their support to the teachers and students as they embark on an exciting new journey.
“Anytime you are part of a Mavs Take ACTION! program it’s a wonderful, uplifting opportunity to be with the students and be a part of the situations that are making the future a whole lot better,” said Blackman. “These programs are so important because the Mavericks play a part in students gaining knowledge and new opportunities, and it puts them in a place where they know they’re deeply involved in society moving forward.”
Monday marked just the beginning of what’s to come for students and staff starting the 2024-25 school year as the Mavericks continue to find new ways to impact the North Texas community.
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