Mobile exhibit shares story of Los Jets with Chatham students

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PITTSBORO — In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Chatham 250 will highlight the incredible story of Jordan-Matthews’ Los Jets soccer team by presenting a special exhibit to Chatham County Schools students this fall.

The mobile version of the N.C. Museum of History’s 2016 exhibit, “Los Jets: Playing for the American Dream,” will be presented to eight CCS schools, with five of them located in Siler City, the home of Los Jets.

“We specifically targeted the schools in Siler City because the story of Los Jets is a Siler City story,” Hilary Pollan, lead organizer for Chatham 250, wrote in an email to the News + Record. “We were overwhelmed by the interest from the schools, not only in Siler City, but across Chatham County.”

Chatham 250 hopes that the powerful story of Los Jets’ determination and resiliency will inspire and bring hope to all Chatham residents, particularly the county’s Hispanic/Latinx youth.

The exhibit is based on the book, “A Home on the Field: How One Championship Soccer Team Inspires Hope for the Revival of Small Town America,” by Los Jets coach Paul Cuadros, who remains the team’s head coach 20 years after the program’s inception.

Cuadros’ book tells the story of the Los Jets soccer team’s formation and subsequent victory as the 2004 N.C. State Men’s Soccer Class A Champions just three years later. As the first predominantly Latino sports team to win a statewide sports championship in North Carolina, Los Jets left an enduring legacy in the community and across the United States, being featured in museum exhibits and even a documentary series entitled “Los Jets” that aired on NUVOtv in 2014.

“Los Jets is an important story of how Chatham County’s Latino/Hispanic community excels and exceeds expectations — kids who came here, made their home here and became champions,” Cuadros said. “This story is an example of the potential of Chatham County and its Hispanic/Latino community.”

The planning committee overseeing Chatham County’s 250th anniversary said that it hopes incorporating the exhibit into the celebration activities brings the team’s monumental contribution to the forefront.

“There is no better way to honor Hispanic Heritage Month during Chatham County’s 250th anniversary than to tell this iconic story of the 2004 Jordan-Matthews state championship soccer team,” Dr. Carl Thompson Sr., Chatham 250 Co-Chair and Senior Pastor at Word of Life Church, said. “This team’s determination, grit and perseverance transcend culture, instilling in all of our young people the values of unity, courage and determination.”

At the exhibit, students will have an opportunity to explore the bilingual museum materials, which include photos and stories of the Los Jets 2004 state title-winning season and Siler City’s Hispanic community in the early 1990s.

Students will then participate in an interactive soccer ball activity complemented by a facilitated group conversation about teamwork and creating communities where everyone belongs and is respected, revolving around questions from the N.C. Museum of History’s previous exhibit: When did you feel like an outsider? When did you feel like a champion?

“Students will pass a soccer ball around a circle, and at different points in the activity will be limited from using their hands,” Pollan wrote. “We hope the activity helps students experience the feeling of being left out and of winning, allowing them to discuss this feeling and ways that together they can help everyone in their community — whether that be a classroom, school, town, city or county — feel like they belong.”

Chatham 250 also employed the help of local graphic designer and communications manager for the Hispanic Liaison, Bryant Parroquin, who assisted the group in turning the materials from the museum’s exhibit into 3-foot-by-8-foot retractable panels that tells Los Jets’ story.

Also leaning a hand to the mobile exhibit was Lara Kehle, the director of KidSCope and chair of the Chatham Health Alliance, who “helped us bring a social-emotional learning perspective to the program planning process,” Pollan wrote.

The exhibit will host approximately 30 students at a time in a 15- to 30-minute program, depending on the age of the students.

“I look forward to bringing the Los Jets exhibit to Chatham Middle School as a way to honor the historical impact of the Jordan-Matthews’ soccer team,” Chad Morgan, principal of Chatham Middle School, said. “It is important for students to know the history of their community, and this is a unique opportunity for our students to learn the amazing impact of Los Jets and the pride it built in our community. Hopefully, the exhibit will inspire students to build their own history.”

Students also will have access to the introduction of “A Home on the Field” and the documentary series “Los Jets,” co-executive produced by Jennifer Lopez and Lynda Lopez for NUVOtv, inspired by Cuadros’ book.

Information about events and other ways to celebrate Chatham County’s 250th anniversary can be found at www.chatham250.com.