By James Williams, Editor-in-Chief

Tucked in the heart of Mt. Airy, Houston Elementary has been holding it down for generations. Since the 1920s, the school has served families from West Mt. Airy, East Mt. Airy, and Germantown, reflecting the strength, diversity, and grit of the neighborhoods it calls home.

Now, the Class of 2025 is walking out of Houston as the winningest athletic class in school history. Period.

Over the past three years, Houston’s basketball team posted a dominant 20-5 record, capturing back-to-back division championships—first in the 2024 Northwest Division, then again in the 2025 Pioneer Division. They went 15-2 in their final two seasons.

Leading the charge: Jaiden Marshall, Eli Houston, Capree Jenkins, and Malik Rogers—all dual-sport athletes who not only balled out on the court but also won the 2025 Penn Relays Small School Boys 4×100 title with a blazing 49.51. When Rogers went down with an injury, 7th grader Josiah Ishmael stepped in and held his own. The order: Jenkins, Ishmael, Houston, Marshall. Gold.

Jaiden Marshall will go down as a legend in the halls of Houston—2 basketball titles, 2 Penn Relays golds, and a Shuttle Run title from back in 5th grade. This kid did it all.

The girls’ program? Just as fierce. Ni’yonna Foster, Myanna White, and Kiyah Connor each snagged two Penn Relays golds, with White leading the medal count at three—Shuttle Run gold in ’22, bronze in ’23, and a 4×100 Large School title in ’24.

In 2025, the girls’ 4×100 team—Zambrana-Veal, White, Glover-Ferguson (7th), and Connor—won their heat in 53.43, but were disqualified. Still, they haven’t been beaten on the track since 2022. That’s dominance.

And Houston’s pipeline is real. This year, the 4th and 5th grade Shuttle Run teams both brought home Penn Relays wins:

4th Grade: Ronald Wingate, Le-Yara Brown-Dove, Braylen Bennett, Ahsai Smith-Trice – 39.26

5th Grade: Kree Rogers, Korrine McCrea, Kaden Siler, Raymond Carter (with Tahjae White subbing in) – 37.91

Neither the boys’ nor girls’ 4×100 teams have taken a loss this season. Not one.

At the center of it all is Coach R. Brandon Coleman, Houston’s Health and Physical Education teacher, and head coach for both basketball and track. Under his leadership, Houston’s teams have brought home seven Penn Relays championships since 2019, including five since 2022, and clinched back-to-back basketball division titles in ’24 and ’25.

“These kids have earned every bit of recognition,” said Coleman. “Since 2022, we’ve won six Penn Relays events—shuttle runs and boys’ and girls’ 4×100 included. My basketball teams went back-to-back in two different divisions. This Class of 2025 is truly one of a kind. We would love a chance to see them recognized before they graduate. They’ve made their school—and their city—proud.”

The legacy is set. The trophies are in the case. The records speak for themselves. Houston’s Class of 2025 made history—and they’re just getting started.