My students need wrestling shoes in order to compete at the District and Regional level. We will need mat tape to host matches at our school and build school pride.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
My Students
Last year was our first year and I had 50 kids, and I was the only one on the mat with wrestling shoes. By the end of season, there were 20 kids that quit because they couldn't afford the shoes, and only 13 kids could afford them. Wrestlers compete as individuals, yet builds comradery like no other.
My kids are TOUGH, and they are inspiring.
Everyday they come to practice even though at home they may not have food, or know that tonight they'll be sleeping on the floor. They look to me as their guide and mentor, but at times I just don't have the resources to help them. At every wrestling tournament I bring them breakfast and lunch, because I know that some of them will not have money to bring their own food. Wrestling is the escape that they have and the family that they have adopted. My school is filled with recently arrived Haitian families, and I am an advocate for them. There won't be opportunities like this anywhere else for them and I am just trying to ease some of the struggles that they have in their everyday life.
My Project
My kids will no longer have to swap shoes between each wrestling match. This past year my students were embarrassed that everyone had their own shoes, except them. We would walk into other schools and they would warm up without any shoes on, and although they were happy to be a part of the team, inside it hurt them. They would ask things like, "why does that team have cool warm ups?" or "How come the school can't get us a pair of matching shoes for all of us?" With your contribution, they WILL be supplied with shoes and will be able to compete in the regional tournament. Also, we will finally be able to host matches at our home school and get the entire school to back us.
Last year, I had 2 kids place in the top 5 at the regional tournament.
There were 3 other kids who could have shared this joy with them but did not have the resources to compete. I refuse to let that happen again this year. As Dan Gable said "“I’m a big believer in starting with high standards and raising them. We make progress only when we push ourselves to the highest level. If we don’t progress, we backslide into bad habits, laziness and poor attitude.” Help us keep our bar high and lace up.
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