Elementary School Sports
Programs
Harlan Lyso
21 October 2000
________________________________________________________________
Thanks
to the 18 schools that responded to my questions about a weekend sports program
for elementary students. The diversity of responses confirms that each of us
develops programs that are appropriate for our own community. Unfortunately, I
was apparently not as clear in my questions as I could have been. My interest
was specifically how elementary school sporting activities held on weekends
were handled. Several responded with respect to after school programs. As such,
I needed to bother these people with a second letter of clarification. Thanks
all for your patience. The following is what I learned.
Regards,
Harlan
Who coordinates the
elementary school sports program at school?
Of the 18 schools who
responded, all had elementary sports activities of some form.
1. One weekend
elementary sports program was coordinated by a school employee who received
release time and/or a stipend to run the program.
2. The elementary sports
program at two schools was under the auspices of a volunteer community sports
council, not officially connected with the PTA.
3. Parent volunteers ran
the elementary sports programs of seven schools, including schools with more
than 500 participants each weekend.
4. Two schools provided
funds for the employment of a parent or local person to coordinate their
weekend sports programs.
5. The remaining six
schools offered some form of elementary sports activity after school, but did
not have a formal weekend program. Who coaches the sports teams? The responses
evidenced a great variety of approaches again, although parent volunteers
coached the teams at most of the schools. At least one school used high school
students who were fulfilling their community service obligations. A couple of
schools employed local residents as coaches. Two sought and hired coaches
wherever they could be found parents, local residents, teachers, etc.
Students paid a participation fee when coaches were not volunteers. Others
charged a smaller participation fee for uniforms, trophies, etc.
Creative
ideas for handling elementary sports programs?
1.Hire someone from the
outside to run the program.
2.Hire paid locals and raise
the fees to cover the cost. (five schools)
3.Help parents establish a
sports council with individuals in charge of a) referees, b) uniforms, c)
schedules, etc.
4.Although actually not a
"creative solution" three schools strongly recommended that the
school not be responsible, but that parents run the program. Possibly the
following quote best summarizes that thought: "We have let the parents
know that if they decide not to run the program it will go away, as we already
have enough on our plate Monday through Friday plus middle and high school
sports teams. It was their choice to begin the program and will also be theirs
to end it."
5.On the other hand one Head
whose elementary sports program was an after school activity counseled that
"peace and agreement are only possible with the school running the
program."
6.Prayer.
Harlan E. Lyso
Headmaster
Seoul Foreign School
55 Yonhi Dong,
e-mail: hlyso@sfs.or.kr
Home Phone:
82-2-335-5766
Office
Phone: 82-2-330-3100
Office Fax:
82-2-335-1857
Web site: www.sfs.or.kr