When Robbin Swift, an eighth-grade teacher at Daviess County Middle School, looked at her new goals for 2019, she wrote out a quick bucket list. Swift told her students about her goal to see the Duke Blue Devils play a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC.
There was just one problem. Thousands of letters pour in each day from anxious fans trying to acquire tickets and because the stadium only holds just over 9,300 people, the games are often sold out months in advance. As a way to create a real world scenario to teach the skill of letter writing to her students, Swift invited the students to help her achieve her dream.
In January, when nearly 150 students wrote the letters, they included lines like: “I may be a huge UK fan, but if my teacher gets this opportunity I promise to cheer for Duke for at least one night.” Letters were sealed in a giant manila envelope and included a picture of Swift with her students holding her special Coach K jersey, honoring Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Months passed and class was business as usual until Swift saw an email come across her inbox announcing “Coach K Special Invitation.”
“I couldn’t believe it,” Swift said. “The email was from Coach K’s office. It wasn’t just about me getting the opportunity of a lifetime at this point. I couldn’t wait to tell the students.”
Impressed by the large number of letters, the package from DCMS students caught the eye of Krzyzewski’s secretary and led to inviting Swift to a game this season. After being offered several dates to choose from, the middle school teacher chose a game over the Thanksgiving holiday so she would be able to make the 10-hour trip to the stadium.
Cole Burch, now a ninth grader, was one of the students who wrote a letter. He said he was thrilled to be just a small part of helping his teacher have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He says that no one deserves this opportunity as much as Swift, who he describes as a very dedicated person who wants the best for each of her students.
“Being a huge basketball fan myself, I knew that Cameron-Indoor was a very historic place and as soon as I saw Mrs. Swift’s bucket list I knew it would be an extraordinary experience,” Burch said.
Swift and her husband attended the game Friday night, cheering on the Blue Devils in a 83-70 victory against the Winthrop Eagles. She carried a sign with her that said: “Drove 10 hours from Kentucky to see Coach K!”
Her seats were right behind the bench, giving Swift plenty of opportunities to see her favorite coach in action.
“It was the best night of my life,” Swift said. “I want to thank my students for making this possible.”
As for her students, Swift taught them that there is power in letter writing, in an age where most everything has gone digital.
“I knew that when I entered her class she was going to do whatever she could to make me a better student and person,” Burch said. “I’m thankful for what Mrs. Swift did for me and it was fun to try to spot my former teacher sitting behind Coach K on TV.”
