Beaufort County Ed Tech Center students are getting first-hand knowledge of what it means to be a part of a team.

It all started with Everett Hershey, owner of Precision Pallets in Pantego and a member on Ed Tech’s site council for Bright Futures Beaufort County, an organization dedicated to meeting students’ needs.

Hershey’s children are homeschooled, and his son is on The Eastern Association of Christian Homeschoolers’ (TEACH) basketball team. But this school year, there were not enough players on his son’s team to be able to play.

As luck would have it, the Bright Futures council had also discussed the idea of starting sports teams at the Ed Tech Center, as some of the students had expressed a desire to play.

That’s when Hershey put the pieces together.

“It just kind of hit me that we could bring the two together,” he said. “It was kind of just bringing everything full circle.”

After approaching Ed Tech Principal Jeremiah Jackson first, the idea was given the green light.

Now, about 10 boys from the school have joined with the TEACH basketball team to practice and play a slew of games up until Feb. 5 with rivals including Washington Montessori Public Charter School and Pungo Christian Academy. The TEACH team is led by coach John Lampkins.

Jackson said that while the team is technically outside of school, it is still an incentive for them to maintain good behavior and grades.

“It really just helps them as far as morale,” he said. “It offers them a chance to be a part of a team.”

Jackson said being a part of an athletic team is a positive experience for the boys, and in years to come, they hope to partner with the girls’ TEACH basketball team as well.

It’s paid off for the homeschooled students, too.

Hershey said he knows his son has gained a lot from the experience and learned a lot from the Ed Tech players.

“It’s been a real blessing and an honor,” he said. “A lot of them, they love the game.  They’re great sportsmen.”

And while it can be easy to assume the worst in light of the Ed Tech Center’s service of at-risk students, Hershey said it’s been nothing but a positive interaction.

“(Some think) these kids are going to be less than good influences, but it’s proven quite the opposite,” he said. “These kids are really good kids. They just need a chance.”

TEACH Athletic Director Lee Evans, said it’s proven to be a valuable lesson for students from different backgrounds to interact with one another.

And not only that but the Christian association has also been able to spread their faith; ten of the players accepted Christ this season.

“We are trying to push and just spread the word of God for these kids,” Evans said. “That’s our main focus. … Just making better people all around, not just Ed Tech.”

He said he thinks it’s also a way to carry on the legacy of TEACH’s former head coach Gregory Rowe.

“Our kids have really enjoyed it,” Jackson said.