High School Sports Mission Statements

Castro Valley High School mission statement:  The mission of the Castro Valley High School Athletic Department is to provide student-athletes with an opportunity to compete successfully in a high school program that is an integral part of their educational experience. The experience will provide a personalized learning environment with equitable participation opportunities for student-athletes to develop their leadership potential. Win or lose, the CVHS Athletic Department will encourage student-athletes to provide a winning effort, exhibit sportsmanship, and demonstrate respect for all.

Squalicum High School Mission Statement:  The Squalicum High School athletic department will create and foster an environment that provides opportunities for student-athletes to enrich their high school experience through participation on athletic teams, which are competitive at the conference and state level.  We are dedicated to providing opportunities, which will enhance the intellectual, physical, social, moral and cultural development of the whole person, while conducting all activities with honesty and integrity in accordance with the principles of good sportsmanship and ethical conduct.

My High-School Mission Statement:  Our Mission here, at CHS is to create an Athletic Department that will help students excel in something other than school, stay fit, and learn teamwork and responsibility.  We want to enrich their participation in extracurricular activities.  Whether we win or lose our students will learn good sportsmanship, a will for competing, and respect for others.

Who has high-school sports funding right?

How should high-school sports be funded?  Should parents have to pay for their kids to participate on a sports team?  Should the schools taxes cover the cost?  In Haddon Township, the participants raise funds through fundraisers.  In Katy, Texas, the students are supported by tax money, and in Cherry Hill, students parents are responsible for the funds.  The answer to this question is simple.  The way sports should be funded depends on how wealthy the school/town is.  For example, in Katy Texas, high-school sports should be funded by taxes because they have the tax money.  They are currently building a $58 million dollar high-school football stadium designed to fit 12,000 people.  Towns like Cherry Hill, Haddon Township, and even Cinnaminson are not as fortunate to be able to afford a $58 million dollar stadium.  These towns simply just don't have the tax money to make sports a priority.  You can say what you want about sports and education but education always comes first.  Although I think Haddon Township has the right idea, raising money through fundraisers, the schools are meant for education not sports.  If a school cant afford to pay for your child to play sports its not on them.  High-school sports are a privileged and need to be treated more as one.

For or Against Highschool Sports?

Arguments for High-school sports:

-Involve students in activities
-Build self-esteem
-Enhance fitness and lifetime participation
-Generate spirit and unity
-Promote support
-Develop and reward valued skills

High school sports are a great way to develop all these things.  They truly do bring the school together as a whole.  10 reasons why high-school sports benefit students

Arguments against high school sports:

-Distract attention from academics
-Create dependence
-Increase passivity and injuries
-Create transitory and superficial spirit
-Waste resources
-Create pressure and distort status system

Along with the pros of high-school sports, like all good ideas, it has its cons.  Here is a case against high-school sports

Kobe Bryant's Retirement

After 20 years of playing with the Lakers, Kobe Bryant has announced his retirement.  "Finally, I just had to just accept the fact that I don't want to do this anymore, and I'm OK with that. Once I accepted that, then it became time to just let everybody know. I mean, why not? It just takes a load off my shoulders and everybody else's. It's just the right thing to do." Kobe is now 37 years old.  "If anything changes, I'll change my mind", stated Kobe.  As Kobe is now 37, you can understand why he might decide to retire.  Although he is known as one of the games greatest, he is just too old.  His body is starting to fail him.  He cant blow past defenders like he use too.  Although he works just as hard as he always have, his body is putting limitations on him.  He cant wake up on a given morning and not feel incredibly sore and tired.  His recovery rate is a lot longer.  He is also not scoring as many points, wining as many rebounds, and recording as many assist.  I think Kobe's time to retire is here and everyone will be paying their respect.

Kobe Bryant's retirement is the most important story of the week.  He has had a very successful career with the Lakers for 20 years.  It is incredible that he stayed loyal to them throughout his career.  He is a walking legend winning 5 NBA championships.  Back to back season of 2005-06 and 2006-07 he was the leading point scorer.

High-School Sports aren't Killing Academics

It is a popular belief that high school sports kill academics.  People believe that the reason for Americas lack in test scores is a direct result of too much sports.  Its believed that students cannot focus on sports and academics at the same time.  This however, is false.  According to this article, "High-School Sports Aren't Killing Academics", the only correlations sports may have with academics is a positive one.  A study in Harvard University studied the correlation between test scores and sports in Ohio.  They found that the better the sports teams did, the higher the average test scores were.  This correlation did not only show in the athletes, but in all the students as well.  It must have something to do with the school spirit involved when your sports teams are playing well.

As a high-school student-athlete, I can vouch for what is stated in this article.  I have found that during my sport season, which are soccer in the fall and volleyball in the spring, my grades and academics increase dramatically.  The winter season is always where I seem to struggle and I have a simple theory of this.  During the fall/spring seasons, while I'm playing sports, I develop good habits.  I eat healthier, go to bed early, and am more focused.  I seem to study and do homework more often.  When I am not in season, I develop bad habits.  I usually go home and sleep, play Xbox, or go out and get food.  I am not as focused during this time and am a lot less likely to study or do homework.