Due to the recent recession, my state and county are in the process of making numerous cuts to public schooling. This not only impacts students academically through materials in the classroom, it also impacts opportunities they have outside of the classroom. Numerous high school athletic programs will not be able to properly fund their programs this upcoming year. As the soccer coach, this is of particular importance to me. My team needs 6 soccer balls that meet the state requirements for match play.
I work at an inner city school with a populace of roughly 1,900 students. Of this, 47% is back and 31% is white. The majority of the students are on free and reduced lunch. Overall, the school did not meet expected growth on last years ABC’s.
I coach the men’s soccer team at my high school. Not many people realize how participating in high school athletics prepares students for college and life. Our field is just a different learning environment. People fail to understand the leadership opportunities that students experience on the playing field, many of which cannot be duplicated in the classroom. Students learn to be analytical thinkers, studying their opponents. Students need to communicate, cooperate, and persevere in order to be successful on a team. All of these traits are needed in college and later on in the working world.
In order to play a sanctioned game in our state, the home teams need to provide match equipment that meets certain standards. The most important piece of equipment used in a soccer match is the game ball. Game balls are some of the few items that need to be replaced annually. Currently, we do not have the proper balls to host a game.
To run an effective program, we need to ensure that every player has the discipline and equipment to improve their skills. Soccer, like any activity, has a series of skills that need to be developed incrementally. In order to do that a team needs to have soccer balls and game equipment.
Every child is not a leader in the classroom. In turn, the classroom does not provide a group of children an opportunity to prepare, be resourceful, aspire, act, and succeed as a team. As a culture we introduced athletics in public schools to help bridge that gap, and teach our children the skills they need to be successful in life. Please help the children of today have the opportunity you had while growing up.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Guercio and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.