In a heartwarming farewell, Ernest Alexander, a beloved student at Warrensville Heights High School, marked his last day with an unforgettable basketball moment.
WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, Ohio — He’s been a Tiger since fourth grade. He knows every hallway, every teacher, every face. And somehow, in all those years, Ernest Alexander never met a stranger.
“He is a social butterfly,” said his mother, Que Walker. “He literally latches onto everybody. He will hold conversations. He will make you laugh. The first time you meet him, you will never forget him. And nobody does.”
Last week, Warrensville Heights High School said goodbye to one of its own. Ernest, a 17-year-old junior with autism, and other learning challenges, was transferring to a new school. But before he left, the entire building came out to send him off — a clap-out that stretched through the hallways and ended with hugs from the teachers who had watched him grow.
“It was kind of a bittersweet moment,” said intervention specialist Aaron Eatman, who taught Ernest for three years. “To see how the Tiger community rallied around him and just showed how much love that we have for him and that he had for us was something that was really heartwarming.”
But the community wasn’t done yet.
A bond built one imaginary jump shot at a time
Head basketball coach Demetrius Johnson — who also serves as the school’s behavior specialist — had known Ernest since the day he took over the program three years ago. Their friendship didn’t start on a basketball court. It started in a lunchroom.
“Every day he’d come to my office and act like he was playing basketball, make shots,” Johnson recalled. “I will always see him in the hallway and say, ‘Ernie, make a move on game day.’ I’d make him do shots without a basketball and he would hype me up before the game. So yeah, that was my guy.”
When Johnson found out Ernest’s last day was approaching, he knew he had to do something special. He met with Ernest’s mom, got her blessing, and made a call to the opposing team — John Marshall High School — who didn’t hesitate to get on board.
“I also want to give a special shout out to John Marshall and their coaching staff and players because they were on board with him coming in the game and having that moment,” Johnson said.
The plan was simple: if Warrensville Heights was winning by enough, Ernest would suit up and get in the game for the final 45 seconds to a minute.
The moment
Ernest sat on the bench in his JV uniform, nervous. Coach Johnson kept reassuring him. And then the moment came.
He stepped onto the court. The crowd stirred. And then Coach Johnson’s voice rang out above the noise — Shoot it, Ern! Shoot it!
The ball went up. It went in.
The gym erupted. Players from both teams rushed the court. Teachers who had watched Ernest navigate the hallways for years stood in tears. His mom, Que Walker, who had already been crying from the moment she saw him put on that uniform, lost it completely.
“The tears just couldn’t stop coming,” she said. “I think I cried as soon as I seen him get the whole JV uniform on. And then when I seen him get on that court and he shot that shot, I just lost it.”
For Johnson, watching Ernest run around the court in pure joy was everything.
“It was just a special moment,” he said. “I felt like that was the best way that Ernie can leave Warrensville — making that shot and having the whole school and district behind him.”
“That was everything to Ernie,” said parent involvement specialist Sherry Farmer. “And it just made us shed tears.”
What his Mom wants you to know
Que Walker starts every morning the same way. She gives Ernest his affirmations. She tells him he’s going to have a great day. She tells him he’s going to be great. She tells him he’s going to be successful. And she makes him repeat it back.
“Even when he doubts himself, I’m like, ‘Nope, you’re gonna have a great day,'” she said. “And he’ll start repeating it. And that day, I think I couldn’t have said ‘I’m proud of you’ less than a hundred times.”
When the crowd erupted for her son — when players from both teams and an entire community showed up for Ernest in that gym — Que felt something she hadn’t expected.
“I felt like I had did everything that I needed to do to instill the right values within him to create that type of response from everybody,” she said. “It felt so good to know that he is loved and supported from everybody. To hear about it is one thing, but to see it and to actually witness it — it’s a whole different ballgame.”
Forever a Tiger
Ernest transferred to Euclid the next day. His intervention specialist Aaron Eatman checked in on him. Ernest called to say he had a really good day and that he was going to keep in contact.
Sherry Farmer, the district’s parent involvement specialist, put it simply: “At Warrensville, we’re a family.”
And families don’t say goodbye. They just say see you later.
“He’s gonna forever be a Warrensville Heights Tiger,” Que said. “And I definitely thank them abundantly. I can’t put it into any more words than that.”
As for Ernest? He says he already likes his new teachers. He says he’s already making friends.
Because once you meet Ernest Alexander, you won’t forget him.