A third-grade US school teacher delighted her students – and millions around the world – by sinking a brilliant full-court basketball shot in a viral clip which has captured hearts on social media.
Teacher Kathleen Fitzpatrick had promised hot chocolates for her class at the Holy Trinity School in Washington, DC, if she made the improbable shot in the schoolyard.
And that’s exactly what ‘Ms Fitz’ – as she is known to the kids – did, sinking the ball from way downtown.
The successful shot sparked playground pandemonium as the youngsters screamed their joy while mobbing their teacher.
The footage has been viewed millions of times on social media with some observers calling it “the sports clip of the year.”
“In case you needed proof that teachers were superheroes,” the school wrote as it shared the video on Instagram.
“Ms Fitz threw a Hail Mary and promised all the 3rd graders hot chocolate if she made the shot.”
The school’s page later showed images of the students enjoying the chocolate treat promised by their teacher.
“We are overwhelmed by the messages and comments we have received and feel blessed that Ms Fitz gave us permission to share this video, which has brought a smile to so many people all over the world,” the school added.
Onlookers should not necessarily have been surprised by Ms Fitz’s feat, however, after it emerged that she played college basketball at Rutgers.
Fitzpatrick played as a redshirt senior after transferring from St. Joseph’s and started 16 games for the Scarlet Knights in the 2017-18 season.
Rutgers proudly shared their association with their alumna in a tweet.
Fitzpatrick was catapulted to fame just before Christmas, appearing on the likes of ESPN’s Sports Center.
“I usually play basketball with the kids at recess, and I don’t really take it lightly,” Fitzpatrick told the program
“I play as hard as I can. I just picked up a ball, and said – it was a Friday afternoon – that if I make this shot we’ll have hot chocolate on Monday as a class… I just launched it and it went in.”
“I was so excited to have a hot chocolate party myself,” she added.
“It was the assist from the reindeer that really had me make my shot.”