My ongoing educational experience with the kids at New London High continues to be among the most compelling influences of my lifetime. What they’ve taught me can’t ever be repaid.

They have taught me the power of inclusion, echoed in the words of a friend who wrote this the other day in his column: “I believe this country works best when we include everyone and kids of all colors, religions, ancestries, orientations learn with, play with, and learn about each other.”

They’ve taught me that separation begets fear, which begets anger, which begets exactly where so many of our self-appointed cultural jurists are today.

I’ve often wondered how many times the kids at New London High — and city residents in general — who are so often stereotyped by people who think with their mouths wonder if this is ever going to get any better.

And then there was this scene the other day at the girls’ basketball game, the state Class L championship game at Mohegan Sun Arena, that offered a shimmer of hope.

Members of the New London student section weren’t merely New London students. Kids from other schools, who play New London kids competitively in other sports — and want to beat them so badly during the season — came decorated in green and gold to support the girls. They, too, were captivated by the personality of the girls’ team and became Whalers for a day.

I saw John and Sam Vogt, two basketball players at St. Bernard. I saw Landon Peabody, a basketball player at Waterford. There were others. They weren’t just sitting there. They were involved in every chant, even rising to serenade New London senior Charee Osborne with “MVP! MVP!” as she was introduced to the crowd.

John Vogt even wore an old Seattle Supersonics jersey — green and gold — an illustration that, bless his heart, he knows there was basketball before Steph Curry.

Think about the power of their presence. The Vogt brothers and St. Bernard lost a brutal game to New London a few weeks earlier. Peabody, a Waterford kid, began his career at New London and transferred. It took him a number of games at his new school to finally beat the Whalers this season.

Who would blame them if some athletic frustrations led to resentment toward the green and gold? Not like that’s never happened before. They certainly didn’t have to be in the New London student section. Heck, given some of the chants in student sections across the state recently, they could have been in the crowd yelling any number of societal affronts, had they been taught such things, overtly and otherwise, at home.

Instead, they were there for their friends. Their friends of different colors, backgrounds, gender and circumstances. You know: inclusion.

It made me hope all over again. That at least the kids get it. They see their friends. They don’t see their race, ethnicity or anything else. What a novel concept.

And again, it serves as a real kick in the ascot to the anti-sports crowd. Once again: A sporting event rallies a community. And New Londoners showed up en masse to Sunday’s championship game, filling much of the lower bowl at Mohegan Sun Arena. Turns out it wasn’t just New Londoners. It was St. Bernard-ers, Waterford-ers and many others, too.

It’s not often that New London gets to be grouped as an “us” around here. But for at least Sunday, we were all a “we.”

You can dismiss that as a bunch of idealistic bilge if you’d like. I’m sure some of you will. Meanwhile, the rest of us celebrate how the kids are showing us the way. Inclusion. Not just words in a textbook. But a real-life act. In the student section. In green and gold.

In the words of my friend:

“I believe this country works best when we include everyone and kids of all colors, religions, ancestries, orientations learn with, play with, and learn about each other.”

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.