Family and friends of Pilgrim High School Principal Gerald Habershaw want to make sure he is remembered for what he did best — helping his students overcome obstacles.

Habershaw, affectionately known as ‘Habs’ by the school community, died in November 2021 at the age of 57 from complications from Covid. Since then, the school’s PTSA has worked with his family, friends and colleagues to create the Gerald Habershaw Memorial Scholarship Fund. Its mission is to provide financial support to students who have faced challenges, but persevered and are ready to move on to a trade school or college.

“This is the kind of student that Mr. Habershaw would have cheered extra hard for as they walked across the stage on graduation day,” said parent Heather Smith Rodrigues, a member of the scholarship committee. “He just loved to see his students succeed.”

First cornhole tournament

The scholarship committee has been relying on informal fundraising efforts, collecting donations at Pilgrim sports and recreational events. It is now ready to host its first official fundraiser and is looking forward to community support. It will hold its first annual Gerald Habershaw Memorial Scholarship Fund Cornhole Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Warwick FOP Lodge #7 at 95 Tanner Ave.

The group is seeking sponsors as well as encouraging the public to attend the fun event which will run from 6 to 10 p.m., and include a silent auction, food and a cash bar. (For those not familiar with Cornhole, it is a recreational game — also known as sack toss — in which players or teams take turns throwing bean bags at a board with a hole in it. The goal is to earn points by either landing a bag on the board or getting it through the hole.)

“We want this to be a fun night, where people play Cornhole, but we also all get together and remember Gerry,” Smith Rodriquez said. Tickets are $30 per person and $60 per team, payable at the door with pre-registration required.

Kerri Manson, a parent and member of the Pilgrim High PTSA, called the event an appropriate way to honor and remember Habershaw. “He was serious when he needed to be and he was fun,” she said. “We want to raise money for the scholarship but also have a good time in remembering Gerry.

“He always rallied behind kids, particularly any students who had to overcome hard times,” she said. “Whatever challenges they were going through, he stood behind them — that’s what made him so great.”

Habershaw, a father of four, had a long career in the Warwick schools, starting as a special education teacher at Pilgrim High. He was named principal at Warwick Veterans Memorial High School and then principal at Pilgrim when Veterans closed.

His dedication to his students made him a popular administrator, and this is not the first time that the school community has shown its strong support for him. Habershaw was put on administrative leave in 2021 after there was a Covid outbreak following a homecoming event that he organized for students to help give them a sense of normalcy during a time of isolation caused by the pandemic. He became ill shortly afterwards but was believed to be on the mend when he passed away suddenly.

Helping kids in tough spots

Both Manson and Heather Smith Rodrigues said Habershaw helped their children when they hit tough spots in their high school days, and they will never forget the time he spent with them. “He was tough when he needed to be and he got things done, but he also had a great sense of humor,” Manson said. “We want to make sure we keep his memory alive.” Their memories of Habershaw include him diligently patrolling high school corridors to make sure things were running smoothly. He was also his students’ most enthusiastic — and sometimes loudest — supporter at school events. He was even to known to inspire the cheerleading squad by doing his own cartwheels.

Habershaw’s daughter, Zoe Habershaw, said her father did not like the spotlight and would probably be humbled that a scholarship has been created in his name. But he would be happy, she said, to know that his legacy will help high school graduates succeed after high school.

“I think one of the most important things that most people will remember about him is that he always rooted for the underdogs,” she said.

She noted that the scholarship applications include the requirement that students write an essay about a time in their lives when they had to overcome a difficulty. “He could be very much about tough love,” she recalled. “He would tell us how things were and always encourage us to work hard. I think that resonated with a lot of his students.

“He wanted all of them to succeed and overcome whatever circumstances they were given.”

To register for the tournament, go to https://share.scoreholio.com/dk4tyZKg5Mb. People who want to make tax-deductible contributions to the scholarship fund can visit https://pilgrimptsa.givebacks.com/store/items/668334.