The lessons for our youngsters don’t end with the final bell of the day if they’re involved in co-curricular activities. In fact, the learning experience that comes from participation in drama, music, speech, athletics and the like, promote lifetime values that cannot always be learned in the classroom.
Integrity, fairness and respect are lifetime values taught through athletics, and these are the principles of good sportsmanship. With them, the spirit of the competition thrives, fueled by honest rivalry, courteous relations and graceful acceptance of the results.
Working to that end, we are joining with the P.I.A.A. in support of a program called “SPORTSMANSHIP: The Only Missing Piece Is You!”. This is a program designed to positively change behavior in our schools and reinforce and reward the need for sportsmanship as one of the values taught through educational athletics.
Your support of this program is essential as part of our educational mission. Your ability to be a good sport will put you in a leadership role in your home and community.
Like with any project undertaken in life, you should have goals for good sportsmanship. Those goals should include:
- Realizing that athletics are part of the education experience, and the benefits of involvement go beyond the final score of a contest;
- Encouraging our students to perform their best, just as we would urge them on with their classwork, knowing that others will always turn in better of lesser performances;
- Learning, and understanding and respecting the rules of the contest, the officials who administer them and their decisions;
- Respecting the task our coaches face as teachers; and supporting them as they strive to educate our youth;
- Developing a sense of dignity under all circumstances.
- When at athletic events, urging our teams on with positive cheers;
- Discouraging cheers that would redirect that focus and reprimanding those who engage in such unsportsmanlike behavior.
You are part of a message that is sent through our community that interscholastic athletics potentially have lifetime learning experience impact. Unlike sports events we see on television at the collegiate and professional level where entertainment is the mission and sportsmanship is not a primary objective, our goal is to have an educational affect. This message must be communicated if we are to continue to have success in this area.
We look forward to serving you in the year ahead and appreciate your continued support.