Making An Impact Through Athletics

by Brook Sumner

During the summer of 2018, Greta Wright, a senior from Swampscott, Mass., traveled through Switzerland, Austria, and Germany on foot with a group of other high school students from around the United States. During her trek, Greta engaged in conversations with her traveling companions about their high school athletic experiences.

While some of the conversation was specific to certain teams and sports, the dialogue eventually turned to the topic of what schools were doing to promote opportunities for learning, serving, and enhancing school spirit. Greta was inspired by what she heard and began molding these ideas into an action plan.

FORMING AN ACTION PLAN

Early in the process of developing a proposal, Greta contacted her good friend and fellow senior, Merryl Green, of Iowa City, Iowa, who helped her brainstorm what this concept should look like. Together, they came up with the idea for an Athletic Student Council at Landmark. The council would be made up of student athletes, and its main objective would be to help student athletes communicate with the Athletic Department and create community service efforts, foster leadership opportunities, and promote school spirit through athletics.

THE ROLE OF THE ATHLETIC STUDENT COUNCIL

When school reconvened in the fall, Greta and Merryl met with the head of the Athletic Department and began to recruit participants and set goals for the 2018–2019 school year. The new Athletic Student Council is now meeting on a regular basis. In October, they independently organized and ran the Fall Pep Rally and Keeper of the Spirit ceremony.  The council also coordinated a successful Spirit Week in which the community dressed in different themes each day. Plans are in place to run fundraisers, such as concession stands at Friday night and Saturday afternoon home sports events. The group is also researching guest speakers to discuss themes such as leadership, teamwork, and perseverance. In addition, the council will play a key role in the fundraising effort for the annual American Cancer Society Coaches vs. Cancer event at the end of the winter season.

Greta and Merryl are developing a program that will offer student athletes a way to make an impact beyond the athletic venue and into the larger community. We are looking forward to the Student Athletic Council becoming a permanent part of our program and applaud these students for their inspiration, initiative, hard work, and dedication. The Landmark community is a better place thanks to their vision and effort. We are proud to call Greta and Merryl Landmark VIKINGS!

 

Article originally published in The Lantern, Fall 2018/Winter 2019.

 

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