ATLANTA — They looked like any other group of kids enjoying a game — cotton candy, nervous energy, cheers, and big smiles.
For many of them, a trip to watch the WNBA's Atlanta Dream battle the Phoenix Mercury on a Sunday afternoon with their classmates was akin to a summer field trip.
But the adults knew better.
Three weeks before, the kids of Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Center were making worldwide news, as a young man named Michael Brandon Hill entered their school with a rifle and a death wish.
In what has now become one of the most widely reported acts of heroism in years, the school's bookkeeper, Antoinette Tuff, talked Hill into giving himself up.
She did it, not through threats or force or intimidation, but by sharing her faith, telling Hill that she loved him and cared about him, and assuring him there were answers to his feelings of despair.
Then Tuff volunteered to walk out with Hill, to become a human shield, so that police wouldn't shoot him.
Within hours of the Aug. 20 incident, Tuff had become a symbol for hope in the age of Sandy Hook, Columbine and Aurora — a flesh-and-blood testament to the spiritual lesson that a kind word can, indeed, turn away wrath.
On Sunday, more than 9,000 fans at a women's basketball game recognized that hope, that message and the people who delivered it.
Almost everyone in Philips Arena stood and cheered the faculty, students and families of the McNair school during halftime of the Mercury-Dream game. Many wiped away tears as the principal and teachers walked across the court.
Thankfully, there weren't emotions of sorrow, but of triumph and a belief that good still exists and can prevail.
"We call it the 'Miracle On Second Avenue' because it was, in fact, a miracle," McNair principal Dr. Brian Bolden said. "It also shows what you can do when you have teamwork. And what better way to celebrate teamwork than to come see a Dream game."
That was certainly what Dream CEO Ashley Preisinger thought when she reached out to Bolden and invited all 870 students and their families to the Dream’s regular-season home finale.
Preisinger had a scare of her own that awful Tuesday morning. Her daughter's school went into lockdown for merely being in the vicinity of McNair. She understood the gut-wrenching pain and helplessness parents felt that day, and she celebrated the joy and sense of relief that came afterward.
As a mother, she wanted to do something to honor the courage shown by everyone at McNair. As the chief executive of a playoff-bound basketball team, she had a vehicle to do just that.
"It's nothing to celebrate, what happened," Preisinger said. "But the fact that we can be a part of something that had a fortunate ending relative to what we've seen around the country makes us feel good."
During one of the team’s off days, a pair of players — point guard Alex Bentley and center Ruth Riley — led a pep rally at the McNair school. Then on Sunday, more than 600 students and family members filled the seats in sections 208-212.
"A lot of (the students) are aware of how close it could have been to going the other way," Bolden said. "Now we’re in the process of celebrating the greatness of what happened instead of what could have happened.
"The one thing about students is they have strong spirits and resilient personalities, so they were able to come through it a lot quicker than a lot of people would expect. We are very proud of how they all handled that situation.”
Everyone got to see a great game, even though the home team didn't win. The Mercury, led by guard Diana Taurasi, shot too well and put together enough defensive stands to hold off a late fourth-quarter charge, beating the Dream, 79-71.
Not a single kid in the stands seemed to care.
"We told them to come have a good time and cheer our home team," Bolden said. "The kids have been very excited. They've been talking about (the game) all week long and counting down the days until we could get out here. I saw a lot of them screaming and yelling and having a real good time.
"That means a lot of me a principal. To see the smiles and the hugs and the high-fives." He then paused and looked away for a moment before finishing.
"... It really, really means a lot."
