Phoebe Christos ’18, Abby Hogan ‘18: WNBA player Elena Delle Donne from the Chicago Sky will be speaking here at the Episcopal Academy to kick off spirit week. Delle Donne famously left the prestigious basketball team at the University of Connecticut and instead went to the University of Delaware in part to be closer to her older sister was born blind and deaf with cerebral palsy and autism. “My family means the world to me,” said Delle Donne in an interview with the WNBA. “She is amazing . . . It’s all hugs, kisses, and laughter with Lizzie and I.” Motivated by Lizzie to help kids with special needs, Delle Donne was recently named the newest Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics. “There’s more to me than just basketball,” said Delle Donne, “I want to help and give back, to do something for the special needs community.”
Photo Courtesy of Leigh Adelizzi ’15
Delle Donne will be addressing the Middle and Upper School faculty and students during chapel, and will make a speech to the Lower School later in the day. The idea to have Delle Donne speak at the beginning of Spirit Week came at the end of summer. “It was a whole series of events that came together,” explained Reverend Jim Squire, Upper School Chaplain. “We thought it would be really great to have her come in because we would like to have that kind of a role model for all students. It is going to be great to have her to be the lead off speaker for spirit week,” he continued.
Delle Donne will be speaking about sportsmanship, the importance of team spirit, character and the Stripes, as well as her own story. Delle Donne will also be hosting a basketball clinic at Episcopal on Sunday, November 23. She will run this camp in conjunction with the EA Girls Varsity Basketball team. It is open to both male and female basketball players in the Middle and Upper School.
On campus, many members of the Episcopal community are looking forward to Delle Donne’s arrival. “Her story is very compelling. I don’t know of anybody that has ever done this before,” noted Squire. As the head Upper School Girls Varsity Basketball coach, Chuck Simmonds is excited to hear from Delle Donne as well. Simmonds who was also instrumental in introducing Delle Donne as a possible speaker, commented, “She hits on almost every single stripe.” Katie Weaver ‘18, a member of the Upper School basketball team, commented, “I’m really excited for the speech. Elena is obviously a very skilled player, but more importantly she’s an inspiration to everyone. Regardless of your experience with basketball, the story about her and her sister is really amazing. Everyone can learn something from her strength and character.”