The Winter Olympics is in full-swing and snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis has scored a big win for herself and her hometown of Roxbury. She finally won her first gold medal in Beijing.
Jacobellis is a hero for the students at the same Roxbury school she attended 25 years ago.
Darya Abraham is a fifth grader at Booth Free School and tells NBC Connecticut she didn't pay attention to the Olympics, that is, until she heard about Jacobellis' story.
"I thought it was super cool that someone from Roxbury which is really, really small won an Olympic gold medal," said Abraham. "It's like you can do anything, it doesn't matter where you're from."
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Jacobellis attended Booth Free School and walked the same hallways as the young girls and boys at the school. Seeing how far she's excelled gives them even more motivation to reach their dreams.
"It's such a small town, the fact that someone won was pretty crazy," said Mackenzie Schramm, a fifth grader at Booth Free School.
Local
At town hall, a banner captures the essence of excitement and showcases how proud the community is to have someone who came from the town win an Olympic gold medal.
"In her first Olympic we had the banner made and we have always been proud to have an Olympian who comes from Roxbury," said former first selectwoman Barbara Henry. "We've put it up every Olympic that she's competed and we've always been very excited for her, her family and the community."
Current First Selectman Patrick Roy also spoke about the town's excitement.
"We were proud of her from the start whether she won or not, it was Roxbury's own," said Roy.
Some of the educators at Booth Free School remember when the Olympic gold medalist was focused on having fun with the rest of the bunch.
Laura Horrigan tells NBC Connecticut her son grew up with Jacobellis and mentions that they both were in the same fifth grade class.
"They were great friends and her family were our neighbors," said Horrigan. "We're just so happy for her and so excited for her and it's great to see her perseverance pay off," Horrigan said.
Don’t miss the most exciting moments of the Winter Olympics in Beijing! Sign up for our Olympics newsletter.
School leaders tell NBC Connecticut they have already reached out to Jacobellis' family to see if she can come back and show her gold medal and talk with students about their dreams and what they can achieve coming from Roxbury.
