One Washington, D.C., elementary school teacher just became a playground legend.
During a December recess break, kids at Holy Trinity School gathered around excitedly as third grade teacher Kathleen Fitzpatrick, known as Ms. Fitz, readied herself on the 3-point line.
The 27-year-old former college basketball player, who was a shooting guard for Rutgers, had promised all the third graders hot chocolate if she made the shot.
"I always play with them on the playground," Fitzpatrick told TODAY Parents. "I play basketball and sometimes soccer and turn into their teammate."
With little to no warm-up and while wearing jeans, Fitzpatrick was tossed the ball by a student wearing a reindeer costume. All eyes were on her, as she dribbled four times before leaping forward, letting the ball fly into the air.
Swoosh! The crowd of school kids erupted with cheers, jumping up and down and throwing their hands in the air.
"Afterwards I was thinking, 'Wouldn't it make more sense if I missed it, then they get the hot chocolate?''" Fitzpatrick joked to TODAY.
The video, which was posted to the school's Instagram account, quickly gained traction on social media.
"I remember our social media person had screenshotted five comments on the video and sent it to me," Fitzpatrick said, adding the video was originally posted on a Sunday night. "Some were parents I recognized, (because) I have their children in my class. It was awesome, and just those five comments made my night."
Fitzpatrick went to bed "not thinking much about it" and had the hot chocolate packed for school the next day.
"It was a great party," she told TODAY, adding they watched the holiday classic "The Grinch" as part of the school's Christmas-themed week.
The third grade teacher was not prepared for what happened next.
"After the hot chocolate party, it all kind of died down for a second. It was a fun thing and then the word viral was mentioned. It just kind of was this huge surprise."
At time of publication, the video has garnered more than 100,000 views and 18,000 likes.
"Ms. Fitz threw a Hail Mary and promised all the 3rd graders hot chocolate if she made the shot. Well, God was looking out for her..." the religious-based school captioned the video.
In a follow up post, the school acknowledged the widespread joy the video has prompted from around the world and shared a donation link that would go toward scholarships and financial aid.
Sharing the video to her own social page, Fitzpatrick shared that it has been difficult as a teacher the past few years, but the kids make it all worth it.
"The idea of something so happy and so pure and so joyful going viral is really an amazing feeling," Fitzpatrick said. "I made the shot, but the kids really, really had the impact and difference in the video. We're just so happy we could spread our own classroom joy with the rest of the world."
