11-8-2010

Dear School Board Members,

It is with much concern that you are toying with the idea of eliminating our high school

sports program here at Bison High. Currently, there are approximately 233 men and 238 women

competing in 16 athletic sports which equal 19% of the total student body. Taking the

extracurricular activities away from a large percent of the student body would be a poor choice

on your part and a horrible mistake. Why do you ask? High school sports program provide many

benefits to the well-being of our students.

95% of the athletes graduate with a high school diploma from Bison High and 70% of

the students graduate in the top 10% of their graduating classes respectively. Students who

graduate are far more likely to be successful later in life. “Graduating from high school is an

enormously important predictor of how students will fare later in life. High school graduates are

almost twice as likely as dropouts to be gainfully employed. The salaries that working graduates

enjoy are nearly twice as high as those enjoyed by dropouts who work. Students who fail to

graduate from high school are also significantly more likely to become single parents and have

children at young ages. And students who do not graduate from high school are significantly

more likely to rely upon public assistance or be in prison” (Greene, 2002) Furthermore, “Given

the importance of high school graduation in determining students’ prospects later in life,

examining the percentage of students who graduate from high school is an important indicator of

school performance. It is at least as important as the much more common practice of examining

standardized test scores” (Greene, 2002). How does the act “No Child Left Behind’ determines

future success? However, graduating rates do. Our job as a public school is to increase the

chance of future success in life for our students. Athletics are a vital part of that success and 95%

of our current athletes graduate.

Athletics are a crucial component of youth development and growth mentally and

physically. “An important part of a child's development is through play. A child's problem

solving skills are developed through play. Children are able to work on relationships, build self-

esteem and decrease their anger” (Dunning, 2005). Moreover, athletics build values that will be

carried throughout the student lives. “It builds strength of character, hard work ethic,

commitment, team work and yes, it keeps kids out of gangs and away from drugs. It's all good.

Baseball, soccer, apple pie, it's an American thing here, a tradition and it bonds kids and builds

friendships and fuels dreams, as it builds their self-esteems. We need more of it, we have a

personality building crisis in the US and there are too many ethically challenged kids, who think

they are entitled without putting in. This is their chance to make a difference, and understand

how lucky they are. We must reward the top contributors and the top players, as it takes that

competitive spirit and drives money to the right places. We should not take away their sports to

help a crazy mom, who is demanding that her child get special treatment, at the expense of all the

others. To me, winning in life, sports, family and job is very important, but it is worthless

without integrity, character and understanding. You can quote me on that. This is why we need

sports in High School and must not sacrifice them to budget concerns or trade one group of

students for the other. I hope you understand my position here” (Winslow, 2008).

In addition to, obesity amongst teens has increased in recent years. “During this time, the

percentage of obese children age’s six to eleven increased from 11 percent to 19 percent, and the

percentage of obese adolescents between the ages of 12 and nineteen increased from 11 percent

to 17 percent.”(Rakoczy). To avoid adolescent obesity, we can do our part as a school to provide

athletics and promote a healthy lifestyle. There are many benefits to a healthy life which include;

-Help you control your weight and minimize the risk of obesity

-Reduce the risk of diseases including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and certain types of

cancers

-Strengthen your bones, helping to minimize your chances of developing osteoporosis

-Improve your mood

-Increase your chances of living a long life

-Improve your mental health and mood

-Improve your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls, if you're an older adult

-Increase your chances of living longer

(Rakoczy)

Also, high school sports provide the opportunity for kids to further their athletic careers,

earn scholarships and garner an education and college diploma. “Sports high schools provide

opportunities for students who have potential to reach elite athletic levels in a range of sports.

They aim to provide students with opportunities to excel academically and in sport” ("NSW

Public Schools," 2007).

In conclusion, please take in to account all the students that would suffer from the

dismissal of the athletic programs here at Bison High School. The pros and advantages of having

athletic programs far out weight the cons and disadvantages. Sports provide an opportunity for

students to grow physically and emotionally, garner athletic scholarships to college, decrease

obesity rates and live a full and healthy lifestyle. A large percentage of our students who

participate in athletic sports graduate at a very high rate and those who don’t, tend to struggle

financially and socially. Athletics teach integrity, respect, work ethic, working with others,

sportsmanship and a variety of other qualities that it takes to be a quality human being in society.

It would be a terrible shame to waste the tremendous and deserving opportunity that we could

provide the students. Thank you for your time and please consider the big picture in determining

the fate of the athletic programs here at Bison High School.

Best Regards,

Dan McKinney- Athletic Director

References

Dunning, L. (2005, April 26). Children playing - how play is important to kids and adults.

Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Children-Playing---How-Play-Is-Important-To-Kids-

And-Adults&id=30861

Greene, J. (2002, August 22). High school graduation rates in Washington State. Retrieved from

http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_27.htm

Nsw public schools. (2007, November 8). Retrieved from

http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/gotoschool/types/sportshighs

Rakoczy, C. (n.d.). Why is physical fitness so important? Retrieved from

http://answers.yourdictionary.com/medical/why-is-physical- fitness-so-important.html

Winslow, L. (2008, May 5). Why are youth sports in high school so important? Retrieved from

http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=Why+high+school+sports+are+good&d=4908658132517740

&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=139e63bf,13df39d7