‘What a great win’

It was hard not to get lost in a sea of green outside Millbridge Elementary School on Feb. 7, as students and staff dressed in their best Philadelphia Eagles’ gear for a pep rally ahead of the Super Bowl.

“We’re hoping for a better outcome this year,” Principal Stacy Murphy said, noting the school did a similar pep rally in 2023. But unlike that year’s Super Bowl, the Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, in a rematch on Feb. 9 in New Orleans.

“What a great win last night,” Murphy said after the game.

“We’re very close to home right across the bridge,” the principal noted at the pep rally. “We have a lot of friends here that are Eagles supporters, teachers and students. I was born and raised in Philadelphia, so it’s very close to my home. We had a whole spirit week this week to celebrate leading up to Super Bowl.”

The pep rally’s noise level was deafening as Taj Abdullah, a former counselor at Millbridge, took on the master of ceremonies role.

“The students absolutely loved him,” Murphy recalled of Abdullah’s time at Millbridge. “He was always our MC for activities, and I asked him to come back as a guest. The staff and students were ecstatic to see him.”

Delran High School senior Matt Viereck dressed as the Eagles’ mascot, Swoop, and the school’s cheerleaders energized the 650-plus pre-K to second graders at the rally.

“It didn’t take much,” Murphy noted.

“I truly believe that creating that lifelong love of learning starts at the earliest of days in elementary school,” she emphasized. “When we can connect fun, real-life experiences for kids where they feel comfortable and free to be a kid at times of celebration like this Eagles pep rally is why educators do what we do.  

“The cheers and smiles will forever be remembered and connected to a phenomenal Super Bowl win.”