More than 200 students joined members of the New England Patriots rookie class at Newton North High School on June 19 for a Juneteenth football clinic that raised more than $6,000 for Newton Community Education (NCE) scholarships while kicking off the city’s annual Juneteenth celebration.
The clinic, which featured football drills, skills stations, and photo opportunities with Patriots players, was part of Newton’s Juneteenth festivities celebrating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and emphasizing community, resilience, and unity.
According to NCE Executive Director Kate Carpenter, the event grew out of the “I’m Amazing, Now Where Am I Going?” program, an after-school career exposure initiative run throughout the school year by the Newton Youth Success Collaborative. The program connects Black, Latino, and low-income Newton students with professionals from a variety of fields, and members of the Patriots organization have participated as volunteers for several years.
Following this year’s program finale, where students interviewed professionals of color about their careers, Patriots staff suggested expanding their involvement in Newton.
Carpenter said the clinic was intended to celebrate Juneteenth while strengthening connections across the Newton community.
“The goal of this event was to bring together the diverse community of Newton and Newton Public Schools to celebrate the anniversary of Juneteenth and have a blast playing and volunteering together,” Carpenter said.
The money that the clinic raised also addressed a growing financial need within the community.
“NCE has had an unprecedented amount of requests for summer scholarships this year,” Carpenter said. “It is our mission to ensure access for all people regardless of income, so the more than $6,000 that we raised makes a huge difference.”
The event required approximately two months of planning and involved collaboration among Patriots staff, NCE employees, the Juneteenth Committee, coaches and trainers from Newton North and Newton South, student volunteers, booster organizations, and numerous community partners.
For Tom Giusti, longtime Newton educator and director of NCE sports programs, the day demonstrated how sports can bring together students from across the city.
“Newton Community Education isn’t just a North-side thing or a South-side thing – it’s a Newton community,” Giusti said. “We had students from both Newton North and Newton South coming together to participate, play, and learn.”
Giusti, who retired in 2021 after a 41-year career as a teacher, coach, athletic director, and head of Physical Education, Health and Wellness for Newton North, said the atmosphere throughout the clinic was especially meaningful and unlike anything he had seen before.
“Outside of events like this, they’re often competing against one another, but today everyone was together,” he said. “It was a very healthy and positive environment.”
Throughout the morning, players rotated through stations focused on passing, agility, footwork, and other football fundamentals while interacting with participants.
“If you watched [the Patriots’] interactions with the kids, you could see how engaged they were,” Giusti said. “These are young athletes who may someday hope to be in those shoes, so having the opportunity to learn from professionals is incredibly meaningful.”
Gene Roundtree, assistant superintendent of NPS, said the Patriots players quickly connected with participants while teaching fundamental football skills.
“The rookies I worked with, Xavier Holmes and Kenneth Harris, were great with our kids,” Roundtree said. “In the short time we had with each group, they taught a key concept and demonstrated the skills that kids would practice in the drill. Then they gave tips and feedback while having fun.”
The experience left an impression on students as well.
Maura Lawler, whose son, Youssef Karradi, is a ninth grader at Newton North and attended the clinic, said the opportunity to learn from professional athletes was unforgettable.
“Youssef loved it,” she said. “He loves football, and the Patriots players spent so much time with the kids. It was great.”
Patriots rookie linebacker Namdi Obiazor said the event’s Juneteenth connection made the experience particularly significant.
“It’s definitely a good opportunity for us to give back to the community and be around kids,” Obiazor told reporters at the event. “Being African American, it means a lot personally, and it’s good for the kids to learn more about Juneteenth, too.”
As the clinic concluded, players posed for photos, signed autographs, and boarded buses back to Foxborough after spending the morning with local students.
For Carpenter, the highlight was watching those interactions unfold.
“The highlight for me was seeing 200 students, grades 5-12, laughing and playing with these big, super-nice professional athletes whom they adore,” she said. “And honestly, the Patriots players seemed just as elated as the kids.”
“That’s the thing about giving back,” Carpenter added. “It’s just as good for you as it is for the people you’re giving to.”